IT·Science Talk

Game tester here: no, the day-one patch is not because we were lazy

Every time a game launches with a big day-one patch, people say 'why didn't they just fix it before?'. As someone whose job is finding the bugs, let me explain, in a funny but true way.

The game has to be 'finished' weeks before release so the discs can be made and shipped. But the team keeps working during those weeks. So the patch is not 'they forgot', it is 'they kept fixing while the factory was printing'.

Also, I report a lot of bugs that do not get fixed, because there is not enough time and a producer decides which ones matter. The bug where your horse can climb a vertical wall? I reported it. Somebody decided the horse is fine. The horse is now a fan favourite.