As a developer, it’s easy to get lost implementing things that “you might need”, and waste time on countless refactorings. This is why project management is very important, and to have capable people in the leadership that can give a direction.
I’ve seen some interviews with developers, and they definitely are building cool tech, for example procedural generators that can do very detailed models of buildings and interiors, but it takes time away from actually making the game.
optissima