We'd wager most people who aren't game developers don't understand what the term vertical slice means. Lucky for you we're here to help explain. A vertical slice is when game developers build a version of their game that contains all of their systems and design work but only one or two levels – a really small section of the game that allows developers a kind of internal demo where they can tweak and test things like combat balance. It also allows the developers to explore technical aspects like how much RAM is needed to run the game.

In regards to development it also allows developers to explore how long it'll take them to build and implement assets and explore how they'll tell the story or handle unforseen issues in the design (like world exploration or storytelling) that couldn't be seen in a prototype.

Now you're educated, the above badly worded tweet caused quite a stir amongst followers of Hellblade. What they actually meant was; “we've learned what we needed from the vertical slice and are moving on to actually making the game.”

In response to the tweet, Ninja Theory had to post this humongous post to explain to fans how game development works. They've managed to be really open and explain things in a way that anyone can understand so it's a very informative read.

Stay tuned for more of our coverage of Hellblade and other games.