GAME COMPLIANCE AND COMPATIBILITY TESTING

Compliance testing exists to integrate the guidelines of first party licensors, such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, with the actual console game. Strict technical requirements are published by each respective gaming company and must be applied to every game. Failure to comply with these standards during a submission for license approval results in the game being rejected. Rejections add further to the overall cost of your project through further testing and resubmission fees.
There are different requirements for every platform, but typically the following are among the areas checked in compliance testing:

• Terminology. Every platform has its own terminology list with which text, audio and graphics in games have to comply. This includes not only the actual words used, but also spelling, special characters and symbols.
• Messages. Games contain a wide range of text that deal with situations other than the actual game play like errors, console functions and game features. These messages need to contain specific details and wording. Also legal screens, credits and menu options play a role here.
• Other areas. Strongly overlap with the areas looked at during functionality testing, but while for example a certain pattern or graphic flicker might be acceptable from a functional point of view, it can be a problem from a compliance one. Similarly to this graphics, audio, behaviour of controllers and accessories, timing, storing of data and many more aspects need to be tested from a compliance viewpoint.

Game compliance testing is an essential step in the development cycle of any console game and intended to uncover flawed hardware combinations that decrease the game´s ability to function properly. Additionally, as mobile games become increasingly popular it is not uncommon for games to require approval from handset manufacturers and wireless carriers as well.

Compatibility testing is not so much concerned with whether or not the game itself is functioning correctly, but that the game will run on required hardware configurations and operating systems. The results of these compatibility tests are often used to determine whether a game must be modified to function with a popular component and indicate the game's minimum system requirements for marketing purposes.

MO Group International can support all your compliance and compatibility testing needs and our QA experts are here to help advise you on all sorts of test related issues e.g. the number of rounds of testing that should take place, exactly what stage during the production process the testing should take place, and so on.

Contact us today to speak with one of our compliance and compatibility testing experts who will be able to provide you with advice and a free quotation for our services.