Making Killzone 3 a better game
The PlayStation 3 game Killzone 3 is Hollands biggest and most expensive game production yet. Amsterdam developers Guerrilla Games worked for almost two years on the action packed shooter. Valsplat helped with playability testing.
Iterative playtests for a large-scale production
Over the course of five months, six playtests were held at Valsplat. In total, about fifty gamers played the story mode of Killzone 3. Players were recruited from the Valsplat database and selected on their game experience and preferred game genres.
At the playtests, the focus was on gameplay, usability and player experience. Do players know what to do? Are the controls intuitive? Does the game deliver the experience?
Various test techniques
Valsplat and Guerrilla Games observed all gameplay on seperate screens. Gameplay was recorded for future reference. Also, player experience was gauged by observing posture: are players bored and therefore perhaps slouched? Or are they engaged and leaning forward and thus -literally- into the game? Furthermore, interviews and questionnaires were used to see if the game was fun enough and at the right level of difficulty.
At one test, eye tracking was used to see where players look and what they miss. This helped in the jungle level, to reveal how and when a lot of players got lost. Guerrilla Games solved the problem by using lightpoints which drew player attention, leading them through the level.
Check the eye track clip:
Testing a new way of playing: the PlayStation Move
Another session tested the controls of the PlayStation Move, Sony's new motion sensitive controller. This yielded some interesting results. For example, on top of the controller was a trigger which seemed ideal for shooters, but it turned out players preferred a different button at the top of the controller.
A better Killzone
The results of all those playtests? A better game, for more players to enjoy.Mathijs de Jonge, Killzone 3 Game Director: “As developers, we become blind to our own game. We know it too well and have no idea if players experience the game as we intend. By testing, we discover that.”
Read more about playability research.
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