GDC survey reveals a rocky year of layoffs and AI skepticism for game developers

The 2025 GDC survey revealed the affect of industry-wide layoffs in 2024 the place one in all each 11 sport builders misplaced a job. It additionally confirmed sport developer opinions about AI, funding challenges and unionization.

The survey is performed annually by the Recreation Builders Convention, which takes place from March 17 to March 21 in San Francisco. Together with Matthew Ball’s current evaluation of the state of gaming and final 12 months’s report, I consider this helps give a stable image of gaming’s actuality immediately.

The thirteenth annual State of the Recreation Business Survey displays key traits and adjustments throughout the video games {industry} based mostly on responses from greater than 3,000 sport builders who took half within the survey, stated Beth Elderkin content material advertising supervisor for GDC, in an interview with GamesBeat.

“One in (eleven) builders reported new layoffs previously 12 months. Final 12 months it was 7%. General, 41 % of builders reported the affect of those layoffs on their corporations. 29 % stated their direct colleagues have been let go. 18 % stated builders on different groups have been let go. And 4 % famous that their studios or corporations have been shut down, which is one thing we have now seen occur within the headlines over the previous 12 months,” stated Elderkin.

The evaluation of the State of the Video games Business Survey outcomes revealed that builders proceed to really feel each direct and oblique impacts from ongoing industry-wide layoffs, in addition they consider that generative
synthetic intelligence (AI) is having a detrimental affect on sport growth.

The survey outcomes additionally marked that builders are more and more focusing growth on the PC platform, and survey respondents have begun to lose curiosity in growing live-service titles, the responses point out that self-funding has been the first approach for builders to again their video games, and lots of extra insights immediately from the developer group.

The complete survey, which incorporates extra perception into the sport growth group’s ideas on these matters and a mess of different details and particulars, will be downloaded without cost right here. Key insights from the survey will be discovered under.

Layoffs proceed to tear by way of the {industry}

In response to this 12 months’s survey, which was performed in October, about 11% of builders reported being laid off previously 12 months. Roles within the narrative area noticed essentially the most affect, with 19% of respondents.

Enterprise and Finance noticed the least reported layoffs, impacting solely 6% of respondents. And 41% have reported feeling the affect of those layoffs, with 29% observing their direct colleagues being let go and 18% witnessing builders on different groups being let go. 4% reported being laid off as a consequence of their studios being closed down.

“Once we requested builders what their considerations about future layoffs have been, the numbers didn’t change a lot. 58% stated that they had some degree of concern for job safety, which is fairly much like final 12 months,” stated Elderkin. “We additionally, one factor we did this 12 months was we requested builders to share what corporations advised them have been the explanations for the layoffs. When it got here to firm explanations, the most well-liked response was 22% who stated restructuring. 18% was declining income, 15% was market or {industry} shifts. And 19% of builders stated they weren’t given a purpose by their firm.”

Additionally of be aware, the variety of builders who weren’t involved about layoffs decreased by 5% this 12 months, with 30% reporting no considerations, in comparison with 35% a 12 months in the past.

Unions?

These are the highest three themes the survey discovered with reference to a query about how builders felt the {industry} may very well be improved: unionization/improved working circumstances; higher mentoring/internships/coaching; and extra sustainability/stability in {industry}.

Union help stayed in step with 58% of respondents saying sport {industry} staff ought to unionize,10% saying they shouldn’t, and 31% saying possibly or they don’t know. That’s about the identical as what individuals stated in 2024.

One-fifth (22%) of builders stated they’ve talked about unionizing at their corporations previously 12 months. Of those that have talked about unionization, 29% stated their corporations have been supportive, 19% combined, and 12% opposing.

When requested to share their ideas on the sport {industry}’s ongoing unionization efforts, most responses have been in help—arguing that unions might assist enhance working circumstances, scale back crunch, and advocate for marginalized builders. Some additionally instructed profit-sharing, residuals, and employee-owned studios. Those that have been opposed stated unions might hurt indie studios, stifle creativity, and drive companiesto both shut or transfer their jobs abroad.

On an anecdotal foundation, the GDC additionally captured the commentary of those that have been laid off.

“We needed to provide builders, in the event that they have been snug, a possibility to share what their expertise has been. They misplaced their job. The vast majority of builders applied generative AI in some capability One third stated they personally use it. That’s up from 31% final 12 months,” Elderkin stated.

As for hours labored, the survey confirmed the variety of hours labored went up this 12 months after some years of decline. Maybe concern of layoffs was the explanation.

Builders are ever hesitant about generative AI

30% of respondents reported that they consider that generative AI is having a detrimental affect on the video games {industry}, which is a 12% enhance from final 12 months. Builders pointed to mental property theft, vitality consumption, a lower in high quality from AI-generated content material, potential biases inside AI applications and regulation points as the primary components behind their discontent with the expertise.

The vast majority of builders surveyed (52%) work for corporations which have applied generative AI
and one-third (36%) personally use them. Respondents inside Enterprise and Finance Roles in corporations
have been almost certainly to make use of Synthetic intelligence instruments (51%), adopted by Manufacturing and Crew Management
(41%) and Neighborhood, Advertising and marketing and PR (39%).

When the utilization of AI was corroborated with the survey respondent’s age, it seems that older builders are extra seemingly to make use of generative AI than youthful ones. 47% % of builders over the age of 55 listed that they do use these instruments whereas solely 28% of builders between 18-34 incorporate them into their work.

She famous one of many largest adjustments from 2024 and 2025 was when devs answered the query about what affect they suppose AI is having on the sport {industry}.

“In 2024, it was 21% constructive and 18% detrimental. As you’ll be able to see, these numbers have flipped fairly dramatically. For 2025, it’s 13% constructive and 30% detrimental,” Elderkin stated.

PC Continues To Be The Platform Of Alternative

Final 12 months, 66% of builders reported that they have been engaged on video games for PC and this 12 months that quantity has climbed as much as 80%. Whereas the explanation for that is unclear, it may very well be a minimum of partially attributed to the rising recognition for Valve’s Steam Deck.

Whereas the Steam Deck wasn’t particularly listed as an possibility for builders to listing as a platform they’re growing video games for, of the respondents who selected the ‘Different’ possibility, 44% of them listed the Steam Deck as a platform they’re eager about.

Curiously, net browser video games are additionally climbing in recognition, as 16% of builders famous that they’re engaged on releases for net browsers (in comparison with 10% final 12 months and 11% the 12 months earlier than). This marks essentially the most curiosity sport studios have in browser video games throughout the previous decade.

For individuals who did, there was a marked enhance in net browser sport growth. The survey discovered 16% of builders stated they’re engaged on releases for sport browsers. It has hovered round 10% to 11% over the previous decade.

“Actually, that is truly essentially the most curiosity we’ve seen in browser video games throughout the previous 10 years. We additionally noticed a rise in cellular sport growth for the primary time in a number of years,” Elderkin stated.

Cell sport growth has additionally elevated 5% over final 12 months – with 29% of respondents growing video games for Android and 28% growing for iOS.

There have been additionally fascinating outcomes associated to DEI (range, fairness and inclusion) at sport corporations, as you’ll be able to see within the above chart.

Console preferences

By way of console growth, Sony’s PlayStation household continues to steer over Xbox, with 38% growing content material for the PlayStation 5 and 34% engaged on video games for the Xbox Sequence X|S. On the flipside, 13% of builders are creating video games with the purpose to launch them on Xbox Recreation Cross whereas 9% are doing the identical for PlayStation Plus.

Requested about their favourite platforms for sport growth, sport builders virtually invariably say they like making video games for the PC. That holds regular at round two-thirds of sport devs. However this 12 months, 80% of devs stated they’re engaged on PC video games.

“Now the explanation for this precise purpose is unclear, however based mostly on the data we have now, we consider it may very well be a minimum of partially attributed to the rising recognition of Valve,” Elderkin stated. “We’ll be aware that within the survey this 12 months, we didn’t embody Steam or Steam Deck as a platform possibility — the primary purpose being that these are each embedded within the hub for PC and Mac video games. Nonetheless, we did additionally give builders a possibility to put in writing in their very own responses.”

As for Nintendo, 20% of builders stated they’re at present making video games for Nintendo Change, and eight% for Nintendo Change 2. 

VR growth?

About 35% of all sport builders work in VR/AR growth. The variety of builders working in digital and augmented actuality has stayed constant, as have the platforms of selection. In response to the survey, the Meta Quest / Horizon Retailer stays the dominant house for VR/AR builders, with 59% at present making video games for the platform.

That is adopted by Steam VR (31%) and PlayStation VR/VR2 (16%).Though solely 8% of VR/AR builders are at present making video games for Apple imaginative and prescient OS, the platform appears to be rising its foothold. Virtually one-fifth (18%) of respondents say their subsequent video games can be on the platform, and one-fourth are eager about Apple’s VR headset. The GDC can’t precisely examine these numbers to earlier years, as this was the primary time these questions have been requested solely of VR/AR builders.

Recreation engine selections?

Unity and Unreal remained within the prime listing amongst sport engines.

In September 2024, Unity introduced it could be reversing its controversialRuntime Payment coverage, which threatened to cost builders an extrafee based mostly on income or installs. First reported by Recreation Developer, this announcement got here on the heels of a yearlong backlash towards the proposed payment, one which drove some builders away from Unity.

This 12 months, the GDC as soon as once more requested builders to establish the engines they’re utilizing to make their video games, to see if there have been any notable adjustments following the backlash. Like final 12 months’s survey, Unity and Unreal Engine stay essentially the most used sport engines for builders, tied at 32% every.

That is largely unchanged from 2024, when it was 33% every. Presently, it seems that few builders have moved on from Unity.

A 3rd of triple-A devs are doing dwell service video games

One in each three triple-A builders surveyed (33%) famous that they’re engaged on a live-service title. Throughout all the survey base, 16% are at present engaged on a live-service sport, and whereas 13% famous they’re eager about growing dwell service video games, 41% expressed that they weren’t in any respect.

Developer opinions of the worth of dwell service video games largely fluctuate. On the constructive aspect, builders
acknowledged the monetary and community-building advantages of the technique whereas those that expressed
concern with declining participant curiosity, inventive stagnation, predatory practices, microtransactions and
the chance of burnout, Elderkin stated.

One of many largest considerations surrounding live-service gaming was market oversaturation, with many builders noting how onerous it’s to construct a sustainable participant base. The survey was accomplished after the failure of Sony’s Harmony dwell service sport final 12 months.

Most video games are financed by way of self-funding

Greater than half (56%) of survey respondents reported that they’ve put their very own cash into funding
the creation of their sport. That’s practically double the subsequent most possibility of project-based or publishing
offers, which 28% famous was the place their funding had come from.

“We discovered that greater than half of builders stated they put their very own cash into growing their video games. This was the most well-liked response by far,” Elderkin stated. “We break it down. If you happen to take a look at indie builders or those that work for indie studios, 82% of these builders stated they put their very own cash into their video games. And 40% at double-A studios have accomplished so, and 29% at triple-A studios. Once we checked out general satisfaction and success of the monetary strategies, self-funding truly appeared to be a fairly good possibility. 89% of respondents stated it was a minimum of considerably profitable.”

Co-development contracts have noticed the best charge of satisfaction, with one-third (37%) calling
the strategy “very profitable.” Accelerators have been seen because the least viable possibility, with 43% calling the
possibility “not profitable in any respect.” This was adopted by enterprise capital at 32% and crowdfunding at 31%.

Based mostly on simply the info, financially, issues appear to be going okay within the gaming {industry}. Nonetheless, the builders themselves inform a unique story. When requested concerning the challenges in offering or securing funding these days, the response from builders was overwhelmingly detrimental, annoyed or exhausted. Essentially the most cited points have been time, market instability, lack of {industry} expertise or connections, discrimination, inventive conflicts and an excessive amount of competitors, Elderkin stated.

Local weather change impacts a notable variety of builders

In 2024, the impacts of local weather change continued to be felt throughout the gaming {industry}, with 16% of builders saying they or their firm have been impacted by pure disasters. 76% stated they haven’t been impacted whereas 8% opted for the didn’t know possibility.

When requested to specify what pure disasters they or their firm confronted, 73% of respondents referenced floods, hurricanes, storms and different water-related occasions. Different disasters referenced embody excessive warmth, wildfires, and earthquakes. This survey was accomplished earlier than the current Los Angeles wildfires, which have affected numerous sport {industry} individuals.

Methodology

The Recreation Builders Convention surveyed over 3,000 sport builders as a part of the thirteenth annual State of the Recreation Business survey and report, which gives a snapshot of the sport {industry} and highlights {industry} traits by way of collaboration with Recreation Developer editors and Omdia researchers. The margin of error is 2%. Whereas the GDC collected responses by nation this time, it famous there weren’t important variations among the many outcomes based mostly on nation location.