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Only relatively recently did a sub-field dedicated to game production studies emerge in the English-speaking field of game studies. It reflects the rise of scientific concern to understand a rapidly evolving sector of cultural and creative industries, and especially the development of digital platforms, the proliferation of so-called “independent” productions and the increasingly precarious aspect of creative work. Based on an inventory of existing research, this introduction to the special issue provides an understanding of the contribution of the texts presented, which broaden the spectrum of research perspectives on video game production. We present a framework in which the field is connected to issues pertaining more generally to work on digital technology and the cultural and creative industries: the issues of productivity and consumer work; the commercial, technical and social innovations introduced by internet and production and distribution platforming; and finally the issues linked to the video game industry’s spatial anchoring and territorial dynamics