Why I Removed the Open World from My Open World Game (Unreal Engine Devlog) #unrealengine5 #gamedev

In this Unreal Engine devlog, I talk through a **major design decision**: removing the traditional open world from my open-world-based game. Open worlds are incredibly powerful — but they’re also **expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to optimise**, especially for solo and small-team developers. In this video, I explain the problems I was facing, the performance and workload challenges, and why I decided to rethink the structure of my game. I reference the *Fable series**, which gives the *illusion of a large open world by using *connected, hand-crafted areas* instead of one massive map — and how that inspired a better solution for my project. 🧠 *What We Cover:* ✅ Why open worlds are so expensive to build ✅ Performance and streaming challenges ✅ Why “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better” ✅ The Fable-style world design approach ✅ Designing smaller, focused levels ✅ Planning the new world structure ✅ One-week progress jump ✅ Cutting ~40% of map workload ✅ How this improves scope, pacing, and polish This video is about **scope control**, **smart design decisions**, and building games that are actually finishable. 🤗 Connect With Me: 👉 https://www.d3kryptionstudios.com/ 🔷 More Unreal Engine & Game Dev Videos: 👉    • Progress Over Perfection in Game Developme...   👉    • Unreal Engine 5 Sequencer Tips from My Sam...   🔷 Join the Community: 👉 Discord:   / discord   👉 Twitter: https://x.com/D3kryption 👉 Instagram:   / d3kryption   👉 Patreon:   / d3kryption   🙌 If you enjoyed the devlog: 👍 Like 💬 Comment how you’d structure an open world 🔔 Subscribe for more Unreal Engine devlogs & design breakdowns #UnrealEngine #GameDev #OpenWorld #IndieDev #GameDesign #UE5 #Devlog #ScopeControl #D3kryption