Question: How big are game development teams typically?

Answer

The size of game development teams can vary greatly depending on the scope and budget of the project. Here's a general breakdown:

1. Indie Games: Often made by small teams ranging from a single developer (solo dev projects) to around 10 people. These games usually have smaller scopes or focus on unique, innovative concepts.

2. Small to Medium Studios: These studios typically have teams of 15 to 50 people. They may produce larger indie games, mobile games, or even smaller-scale console/PC games.

3. Large Studios or AAA Games: The teams working on large-scale or AAA (triple-A) games are considerably bigger, often involving 100 to 500 people or more spread across different disciplines like programming, art, design, audio, QA, and production.

4. Huge MMOs or Blockbuster Games: These mega-projects can involve massive teams of up to thousands of people, sometimes spread across multiple studios worldwide. This scale is usually seen in long-running massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) with continuous content updates, or in blockbuster titles with high-fidelity graphics and extensive content.

Note that these numbers are highly variable, as modern game development often involves outsourcing certain tasks (like asset creation, QA, localization, etc.) to specialist companies. Additionally, non-development roles such as marketing, business development, and support services aren't included in these counts but play crucial parts in a game's success.