Why do my ‘Final_Final’ folders keep multiplying—how do you enforce one true asset version on a 10-person team?

Development Asset Creation
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Why do my ‘Final_Final’ folders keep multiplying—how do you enforce one true asset version on a 10-person team?

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Great question!

The best option is to make sure that all assets that are final, are given a name that ends with Final (3) USEME
Anything less that that is just not final enough!

Alright, the real answer is: Use source control.

If you need to, build an asset review and approval process on top of the source control.
It is possible to use “git lfs” for game assets, but it’s more usual to use Perforce.

After making sure you use correct source control, and train everybody in how to use it, the next step is probably to come up with a good structure convention for what goes where (do you group objects by level, by type, by level and type, …)

And after that, you’ll probably want to build some kind of asset pipline tracking system – could be a spreadsheet, could be a fancy application, where you track out which assets need to be produced, who is currently on the hook for them, which upstream assets they block, and where they are in the concept-previz-produce-review-approve flow. Unlikely you’ll need something this sophisiticated for just a 10-person team, though.

edit I just realized, I didn’t make it clear enough: Source control by itself won’t fix anything. You have to train everybody in using source control if they want old versions, and you have to also enforce that no assets with dumb names or duplicates get committed. Typically your technical art directory or maybe your build engineer will be in charge of this, but it needs to be one person, and that person needs to have the authority and support to delete any chaff without team complaints.

PS: great question! :smiley:

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Oh, the dreaded Final_Final_v2b_UseThisOne_REALLY folder :sweat_smile:
@WonderWoman — you’ve just described one of the most universal asset management headaches in game development.

:bullseye: Why This Happens (Even to the Best Teams)

It’s rarely laziness or disorganization — it’s a lack of shared visibility and confidence:

  • Artists aren’t sure which version was reviewed or approved
  • Someone’s afraid to overwrite a teammate’s work
  • No system exists to mark an asset’s “truth” without renaming or reuploading

Multiply that across 10 people and a few dozen assets… and suddenly you’re in folder hell.

:white_check_mark: Real-World Ways Teams Enforce the “One True Version”:

1. Use Source Control Branching Wisely (e.g. Perforce or Git LFS)

  • Keep a clean Main or Release stream
  • Devs work in “feature” branches or folders → Only merge once approved

2. Implement Asset Status Markers

  • Use naming conventions + suffixes like _WIP, _QA, _Final
  • Even better: don’t rename the file — tag it through metadata or a checklist

3. Centralize Communication on Each Asset

  • This is where we saw the biggest win.

:wrench: What We Use: Asset Optics

Our team built this plugin specifically for this kind of chaos. It helps teams:

  • :pushpin: Leave comments or feedback directly on each asset in the Content Browser
  • :white_check_mark: Add checklists like “awaiting concept review” or “QA passed”
  • :counterclockwise_arrows_button: Sync that status to a web dashboard so everyone sees the same version and its current state

Instead of guessing, or renaming folders 10 times, your team gets clarity. No more “which one is real?” Slack threads. No more duplicate materials living forever in limbo.

You’re not alone in this — every Unreal team hits this wall eventually. The key is giving the team a shared language around asset state and a single source of truth they trust.

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