When project scope is cut, maintaining quality requires focusing on what matters most. The Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) is key here—80% of your game's value often comes from 20% of its features. 1. Identify Core Features: Determine which elements most impact the player experience. 2. Prioritize and Enhance: Focus resources on improving these critical aspects to deepen the experience. 3. Communicate Clearly: Explain to stakeholders why prioritizing these features ensures a high-quality outcome. By concentrating on the most impactful elements, you can maintain a strong, cohesive experience despite the reduced scope.

During project development, there's always a core that defines the game's essence, and then there are the extras—features that enrich the experience but aren't essential. When making cuts, it's important to assess what isn't fundamental and doesn't impact the core. This involves discussions with the team to understand which elements can be removed without losing the core experience or exploring alternative ways to achieve the same effect using other elements. Ultimately, it depends on client expectations and what’s feasible, ensuring team alignment to avoid wasted effort and losses when features are cut.

If your project scope is cut, don't take as a downer. THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT WILL EVER HAPPEN TO YOU! Think of the original ALIEN film, where the budget went from 18 to 11mil; this forced Dan O'bannon to rework the script into the masterpiece that we know today. Take the opportunity of a scope shrink to cut out the fat in your game and re-focuse on polishing the most important aspects, pillars and features of it. You will end up with a far better experience if you shift priorities into the strongest game design, story and graphic elements of your project and get rid of the uncooked ideas you have floating around. A scope reduction will force you to do that. Is a blessing in disguise.

When your game project scope shrinks unexpectedly, maintaining quality can feel tricky. Start by focusing on the core experience that makes your game unique. Prioritize the most important features and polish them to perfection. Work closely with your team to find creative ways to maximize what’s left in the scope, ensuring the final product still feels complete and engaging. By concentrating on quality over quantity, you can deliver a refined game even with reduced scope.