Sources – What’s the point of prototyping

These are the sources and citations for the GMTK video “How to find amazing game ideas”. The citation number is shown in the top right corner of the video.

[1] Studio MDHR | X

Here's a peek at the first Not-Yet-Cuphead Flash prototype that we called "Jay & a Slushie." We didn't have a character or even game concept yet, but we still had giant bosses! Let us know which of The Hand's attacks you like the most for a chance to win a game key. pic.twitter.com/zwJtIOdOZi
— Studio MDHR (@StudioMDHR) September 29, 2018

[2] Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | GDC

[3] Developing ‘Hi-Fi RUSH’ Backwards and Finding Our Positive Gameplay Loop | GDC

[4] Splatoon and Splatoon 2: How to Invent a Stylish Franchise with Global Appeal | GDC

[5] Ask the Developer Vol. 9, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Nintendo

https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-9-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-part-4/

[6] How the Developers of ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ Find New Joy in Creating Classic Side-Scrolling Adventures | GDC

https://gdcvault.com/play/1034668/2D-and-Tomorrow-How-the

[7] Ask the Developer Vol. 19, Donkey Kong Bananza | Nintendo

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2025/July/Ask-the-Developer-Vol-19-Donkey-Kong-Bananza-Chapter-2-2871378.html

[8] Our Deck Building Game Evolved Into Something Unexpected! | Jonas Tyroller

[9] First Prototype to Actual Game in 22 Days! | Jonas Tyroller

[10] Pixar | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Pixar/videos/905135840248372

[11] Horizon Zero Dawn: A Game Design Postmortem | GDC

[12] Official Sea of Thieves Inn-side Story #19 | Sea of Thieves

[13] I made Super Auto Pets… with guns | Luke Muscat

[14] I Played 7 “LOST MEDIA” Subnautica Prototypes You CAN’T ACCESS Anymore | The Last Bacon

[15] Slay the Spire September 2015 prototype | Alex Wiltshire

[16] Revisiting the FIRST YEAR of dev on Satisfactory | Coffee Stain Studios

[17] CarlsenGames | X

A short clip comparing the first COCOON prototype with the final game. The prototype was from April 2017 and was created in 3-4 months.

Read more about the making of COCOON in this interview I did with Game Developer https://t.co/KUq2aDNzso pic.twitter.com/DKUhHT1riw
— Jeppe Carlsen (@CarlsenGames) November 3, 2023

[18] How Jusant Makes Rock-Climbing More Immersive | Game Maker’s Toolkit

[19] How I designed Fruit Ninja | Luke Muscat

[20] Journey prototype | molleindustria

[21] Pirat_Nation | X

Kojima designing the maps and camera positions for Metal Gear Solid with Lego

pic.twitter.com/XIk23KF2gp
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) July 20, 2024

[22] Ori and the Blind Forest Prototype Animation: Pull Ability | Moon Studios