Imagine a game development team following every ritual of a “successful” studio (daily standups, retrospectives, Jira tickets everywhere) yet their project is late, over budget, and falling apart.
What went wrong?
They fell into cargo culting: copying surface-level practices without understanding the principles behind them.
With development costs ballooning and projects shutting down after years in limbo, avoiding cargo culting is more critical than ever. The truth is: many studios don’t just misuse processes, they misunderstand them entirely.
What Cargo Culting Looks Like
The term “cargo cult” comes from software development, where teams mimic processes hoping for success without knowing the why behind them. In game dev, it shows up like this:
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Blind Scrum adoption: teams run standups and sprints but don’t know how to use Scrum properly. Backlog items lack clarity, estimation with story points is misunderstood (everything ends up as XXL), and “user stories” aren’t really stories at all. Instead of having clear acceptance criteria or a definition of done, tasks are left open to interpretation. The result? Confusion, missed expectations, and a backlog that feels endless rather than actionable.
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Rituals over results: retrospectives happen, but nothing changes; backlogs exist, but nobody owns them.
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Copy-paste workflows: a AAA method dropped into a 10-person indie team without adjustment.
The result? A pipeline that looks “Agile” on the outside but is chaos inside.
Why Cargo Culting Fails
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It Kills Critical Thinking
When teams focus on “checking boxes” instead of solving problems, creativity disappears. Scrum and Agile aren’t recipes, they’re frameworks that demand reflection and adaptation. Without the why, you get busywork. -
It Wastes Time and Money
Endless meetings, bloated documentation, and sprint churn burn through budgets without delivering player value. A copied process slows you down instead of speeding you up. -
It Breeds Mistrust
This is why parts of the industry now call Agile “snake oil.” Not because Scrum doesn’t work, but because so many teams implement it poorly. cargo cult Agile instead of the real thing. Scrum looks simple on paper, but it’s not easy. Copying rituals won’t fix your production problems.
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How to Avoid Cargo Culting
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Start with principles, not rituals. Understand what Scrum, Kanban, or Waterfall were designed for before adopting them.
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Customize to your team. A method that works for a 300-person AAA studio won’t work out of the box for a 10-person indie.
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Iterate on process. Hold retrospectives that actually change things. If a ceremony adds no value, cut it or adapt it.
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Anchor decisions in outcomes. Ask: “Does this practice help us ship better, faster, or with less stress?”
Cargo culting fades when teams stop copying and start thinking.
Closing Thoughts
Game development doesn’t fail because teams lack passion, it fails because passion without focus turns into chaos. Processes like Scrum or Kanban can empower teams, but only when applied with understanding, discipline, and adaptation.
At Toño Game Consultants, we help studios cut through the noise, focus on what really works, and deliver games without falling into cargo cult traps.
Ready to build a pipeline that actually ships? Explore our Production Services to align vision, scope, and process, so your team can do their best work and finish strong.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cargo Cult in Game Development
What does “cargo cult” mean in game development?
Cargo culting is when teams copy practices (like Scrum rituals or documentation habits) from other studios without understanding why they work. It looks like process discipline on the surface but often leads to wasted effort, inefficiency, and poor results.
Why is cargo culting harmful for game studios?
Because it shuts down critical thinking. Teams spend time going through the motions—meetings, checklists, or reports—without actually solving problems. This drains budgets, delays production, and frustrates developers.
How does Scrum fit into cargo culting?
Scrum is one of the most misused frameworks in software development. Many teams adopt daily standups, sprints, or “user stories,” but without clarity, prioritization, or acceptance criteria, it’s just ritual without results. As we explored in Scrum in Game Development: Why It’s Not Easy (But Worth It), Scrum can be powerful, but only when applied with skill and discipline.
How do I know if my team is cargo culting?
Watch for these red flags:
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Meetings that feel like box-checking exercises
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User stories or tasks with no clear definition of done
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Estimation that always lands on “XXL” because nobody knows how to size work
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Copying another studio’s workflow without adapting it to your scope, resources, or team culture
How can game teams avoid cargo cult practices?
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Start by asking “why” before copying a process
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Pilot new methods in small ways before rolling them out
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Tailor practices to your team’s size and dynamics
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Run retrospectives to refine workflows continuously
Is all copying bad?
Not at all. Learning from other studios is essential, but mimicry without understanding is dangerous. Borrow principles, not rituals. For example, prioritization from a project manager might look very different in an indie vs. AAA studio, but the principle, focus on what matters, always applies.
What role does production play in preventing cargo cult?
A strong producer or project manager helps translate frameworks like Scrum or Kanban into something practical for your studio. Their job is to filter ideas, set priorities, and adapt methodologies so they serve the project rather than dominate it.
How can I balance structure with creativity?
Treat frameworks as guides, not rigid rules. Use them to set guardrails around time, budget, and scope, but leave breathing room for creative iteration.
