New research published yesterday by the Game Developers Conference has revealed that one in 10 game devs has been laid off in the past year.
The findings are part of the GDC’s 13th-annual State of the Game Industry report, which analyzed data from a global survey of 3,000 gaming professionals the trade org conducted with Omdia throughout 2024.
The layoff stats put some hard numbers behind a general feeling that company downsizing announcements had become a weekly occurrence in the industry. Last year’s job cuts also spanned most game studio departments, including narrative (19%), production & team management (16%), visual arts (16%), programming (12%), game design (9%) and business & finance (6%)
According to the survey, the top reason companies offered for laying off employees was restructuring (22%), followed closely by declining revenues (18%) and market shifts and industry trends (15%). While workers recognized these very real problems, they also believe poor leadership, COVID-era overexpansion, declining player interest and unrealistic expectations for teams to make the “next big hit” are key contributing factors.
The lack of job opportunities in the gaming industry is also trickling down to publishing, with developers noting that securing funding from investors, publishers, venture capital firms and other sources has become a daunting task. More than half of all developers surveyed (56%) are funding their own games, but significantly few have managed to sign a publishing deal (28%) or access government grants (15%).
The adoption of generative AI is another ongoing hot topic for game developers, with 52% of survey respondents working at studios that use AI-powered tools. One-third (36%) say they use the tech daily to manage their workload, including coding assistance, 3D model generation and automating repetitive tasks.
While AI usage has gone up 5% since 2023, this year’s survey also noted a 9% jump in developers saying they have no interest in using the tech at all (up to 27%), and 30% think AI is hurting the gaming industry overall. Key concerns include IP theft, energy consumption, regulatory issues, job displacement and the quality of AI-generated content.
One bright spot revealed by the survey is an increasing number of adaptations—13% of developers worked on game titles last year that were optioned for TV or film, compared to 10% in 2023. And when it comes to AAA games, this figure is 36%.