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Game Development vocabulary · Gameplay & Game Design

Cutscene

Meaning in game development, with examples

/ˈkʌtsiːn/nounCore term

In game development, cutscene means: A short non-interactive scene in a game, like a piece of film, that tells part of the story, introduces a character or shows the result of the player's actions.

In Turkish: ara sahne, sinematik, cutscene

How it is used

Cutscenes can be pre-rendered video or rendered in real time in the engine. Players want to skip cutscenes when they replay, so 'make it skippable' is a common request. Cinematic designers and animators create them.

Example sentences

  1. Let players skip the cutscene after the first time they see it.

  2. The opening cutscene is rendered in-engine, so the hero wears whatever armor you chose.

Common collocations

  • skip a cutscene
  • in-engine cutscene
  • pre-rendered cutscene
  • opening cutscene
  • NPCShort for non-player character: any character in the game that is controlled by the computer, not by a player, such as a shopkeeper, a quest giver or an enemy guard.
  • pacingThe rhythm of a level or game: how action, exploration, story and quiet moments are mixed and timed so that players stay interested without getting tired.
  • keyframeA frame in an animation where the animator sets an important pose or value; the software then fills in the movement between keyframes automatically.
  • renderingThe process in which the computer turns a 3D or 2D scene, with its models, textures and lights, into the final image shown on the screen.

More terms: Gameplay & Game Design

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