/game-launch

name: game-launch
description: >
  Runs the pre-release launch pipeline for Steam, Epic, consoles and mobile: build gates, store page
  and review lead times, Next Fest and wishlists, a dated compliance checklist (AI disclosure, EU AI
  Act, EAA, IARC), day-one patch and go/no-go. Not for browser games (use game-web-publish).
argument-hint: "[platform: steam|epic|console|mobile] [target date YYYY-MM-DD]"
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, AskUserQuestion, WebSearch, WebFetch, Bash(git log *), Bash(git status *), Bash(git describe *)
effort: high
disable-model-invocation: true

AlterLab GameForge -- Pre-Release Launch Pipeline

The distance between "done" and "launched" is longer than most teams expect, and the distance between "launched" and "sustained" is longer still. A finished, fun game can still stall because the store page went live too late, the build sat in review during a backlog, the AI disclosure was wrong, or the hotfix pipeline had never been exercised. This workflow runs the whole path: build gates, storefront, discoverability, compliance, day-one patch, go/no-go, and the first months after release.

Late 2026 adds two pressures that did not exist a few years ago. Stores are flooded (Steam reported review times of up to 12 business days in November 2026, and itch.io purged terabytes of AI-generated uploads the same month), and AI-related disclosure is now a legal and storefront requirement in several places. Plan for both from day one of launch prep, not the week before.

Purpose and Triggers

**Use this workflow when:**

• The game is entering its final milestone and needs a structured launch plan with dates
• A store page, demo, Next Fest slot or submission deadline is coming up
• Compliance needs an audit: age ratings, AI disclosure, accessibility, privacy, licences
• The team needs a go/no-go decision with documented risk
• An Early Access launch or Early Access to 1.0 transition is being planned (same process,

adjusted scope)

• Post-launch support (hotfixes, community, metrics, roadmap) must be ready before launch day

**When NOT to use me:**

| Situation | Use instead | |---|---| | Browser release: itch.io HTML5, Poki, CrazyGames, Discord Activities, YouTube Playables, PWA | `/gameforge:game-web-publish` | | Game jam submission | `/gameforge:game-jam-mode` | | Internal or closed playtest build | `/gameforge:game-playtest` | | Automated builds, signing, Steam depot uploads in CI | `/gameforge:game-ci-pipeline` | | Positioning, comparable titles, price research | `/gameforge:game-market-research` | | Translating store page and game text | `/gameforge:game-localization-manager` | | Full accessibility audit or EAA scoping | `/gameforge:game-accessibility-specialist` | | Generating or logging AI assets before they ship | `/gameforge:game-ai-assets` | | Feature still unfinished, scope versus date | `/gameforge:game-scope-check`, then `/gameforge:game-producer` | | Several roles must sign off in parallel | `/gameforge:game-team-orchestrator` (release pipeline) |

Critical Rules

1. **Every phase is gated.** Do not advance until the current gate is signed off or the exception is written down with an owner. Skipped gates are where launches implode. 2. **Lead times beat effort.** Several steps have fixed minimum durations (Coming Soon visibility, store and build review, Next Fest demo review, console certification). Backplan from the launch date before doing anything else. 3. **The store page is a design deliverable.** It is the game's first impression and the only one most people will see. It must show only what ships at launch. 4. **Compliance is not optional, and it is dated.** Each item in the compliance table below has an applicability test and a date. Record "not applicable, because ..." rather than skipping a row. 5. **Disclose from evidence, not memory.** AI-disclosure answers come from the asset provenance log, not from recollection the week before submission. 6. **Plan for failure.** The plan must include a rollback path and a tested hotfix pipeline. A rollback plan that has never been executed is a hope. 7. **Launch day is day one.** Post-launch cadence, community ownership and metrics are part of the launch plan, not a follow-up. 8. **Verify time-sensitive rules before stating them.** Platform rules in this skill are current as of November 2026. Before telling the user a deadline, open the official page (Steamworks, Partner Center, App Store Connect, Play Console) with WebFetch and confirm it. This skill gives practical guidance, not legal advice; recommend counsel for EULA, privacy and AI Act questions.

Step 0: Intake

Read silently first:

• `.gameforge/project.json` (engine, phase, pillars) and `production/session-state/active.md`
• Any existing `production/releases/` checklist, `design/` store copy, `CHANGELOG`, crash or bug reports
• The AI asset provenance log `design/ai-asset-log.md` (format:

`${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/ai-asset-log.md`, maintained by `/gameforge:game-ai-assets`) and the project's AI content policy (`${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/ai-content-policy.md`)

• `git describe --tags` and `git log` for the release candidate and recent churn

Then ask one AskUserQuestion round (up to four questions, each with a recommended default):

1. **Platforms:** Steam only (default) / Steam + Epic or GOG / plus console / plus mobile 2. **Launch type:** full release / Early Access / Early Access to 1.0 3. **Target date:** firm, flexible, or "tell me the earliest realistic date" 4. **Risk flags (multi-select):** AI-generated content that ships, live AI at runtime (LLM NPCs, generated text or voice), in-game purchases or loot boxes, chat or voice between players, sold in the EU, likely to attract children

Do not ask what the files already answer. If the date is unknown, compute the earliest realistic date from the backplan below and propose it.

Step 1: Backplan from the launch date