When this skill is invoked:

Parse the arguments:

• version : the release version to generate notes for (e.g., 1.2.0 )

• --style : output style — brief (bullet points), detailed (with context), full (with developer commentary). Default: detailed .

Gather change data from multiple sources:

• Read the internal changelog at production/releases/[version]/changelog.md if it exists

• Run git log between the previous release tag and current tag/HEAD

• Read sprint retrospectives in production/sprints/ for context

• Read any balance change documents in design/balance/

• Read bug fix records from QA if available

Categorize all changes into player-facing categories:

• New Content: new features, maps, characters, items, modes

• Gameplay Changes: balance adjustments, mechanic changes, progression changes

• Quality of Life: UI improvements, convenience features, accessibility

• Bug Fixes: grouped by system (combat, UI, networking, etc.)

• Performance: optimization improvements players might notice

• Known Issues: transparency about unresolved problems

Translate developer language to player language:

• "Refactored damage calculation pipeline" → "Improved hit detection accuracy"

• "Fixed null reference in inventory manager" → "Fixed a crash when opening inventory"

• "Reduced GC allocations in combat loop" → "Improved combat performance"

• Remove purely internal changes that don't affect players

• Preserve specific numbers for balance changes (damage: 50 → 45)

Generate the patch notes using the appropriate style:

Brief Style

Patch [Version] — [Title]

New

• [Feature 1]
• [Feature 2]

Changes

• [Balance/mechanic change with before → after values]

Fixes

• [Bug fix 1]
• [Bug fix 2]

Known Issues

• [Issue 1]

Detailed Style

Patch [Version] — [Title]

[Date]

Highlights

[1-2 sentence summary of the most exciting changes]

New Content

[Feature Name]

[2-3 sentences describing the feature and why players should be excited]

Gameplay Changes

Balance

Mechanics

• [Change]: [explanation of what changed and why]

Quality of Life

• [Improvement with context]

Bug Fixes

Combat

• Fixed [description of what players experienced]

UI

• Fixed [description]

Networking

• Fixed [description]

Performance

• [Improvement players will notice]

Known Issues

• [Issue and workaround if available]

Full Style

Includes everything from Detailed, plus:

Developer Commentary

[Topic]

[Developer insight into a major change — why it was made, what was considered, what the team learned. Written in first-person team voice.]

Review the output for:

• No internal jargon (replace technical terms with player-friendly language)

• No references to internal systems, tickets, or sprint numbers

• Balance changes include before/after values

• Bug fixes describe the player experience, not the technical cause

• Tone matches the game's voice (adjust formality based on game style)

Save the patch notes to production/releases/[version]/patch-notes.md , creating the directory if needed.

Output to the user: the complete patch notes, the file path, a count of changes by category, and any internal changes that were excluded (for review).