2025年游戲行業(yè)報告

GDC

5GAMEINDUSTRY

STATEofthe

>>>>>>>>>>

Foreword

Itseemsfittingthatwe’vereachedthe13thyear

ofGDC1sStateoftheGameIndustry1anumberviewedasIuckyinsomecuIturesandunIuckyinothers1becauseitfeeIsIiketheIast12monthshaveseentheirshareoffortuneandheartbreak.

Industrylayoffshavecontinued,tothepointwhereonein10developerssaythey’velosttheirjobsinthepastyear.Thisishappeningasmore

studiosadoptGenerativeAI,eventhoughit’sincreasinglyunpopularamongdevelopers.Workinghoursaregoingup,investment

opportunitiesareshrinking,andrecentsevereweathereventslikeHurricaneMiltonandtheSouthernCaliforniawildfiresaredrawingattentiontothegrowingimpactofclimatedisasters.

Butthegameindustryisresilient,asareitsdevelopers.PCdevelopmenthas

skyrocketed,morestudiosareprioritizinggameaccessibility,unionizationsupportholdssteady,andHollywoodcontinuestoseethe

valueinadaptinggamesforthebig(andsmall)screen.

Thisyear,wesurveyedover3,000developers(witha±2percentMoE),workingwithresearchpartnersatOmdiatoanalyzethesurveydataandcollaboratingwiththeteamatGameDeveloper.

Thankyoutoeveryonewhoparticipatedbysharingyourthoughtsandperspectives.

Contents

1.TheGIobaIGameDeveIoperCommunity2

2.IndustryLayoffs8

3.GenerativeAI13

4.Engines&PIatforms18

5.TheBusinessofGames29

6.PubIishing&Financing28

7.Advocacy33

GDC

GDCTeam

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl1

GDC

2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY

1THEGLOBAL

GAMEDEVELOPER

COMMUNITY

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|2

COMMUNITY

TheDevelopers

of2025

AGE

25-3436%35-4433%45-5415%

18-2410%55-645%

65orolder1%

Thegameindustrycontinuestogrowandchange,alongwithitsplayers.

Whiletheindustryremainslargely

whiteandmale,afewkeydatapointsshowhowthedevelopercommunityisbecomingmorediverse.

Genderdiversityinthegameindustryhasseen

anotableshiftoverthepastfewyears.Women

andnon-binarydevelopersnowmakeup32%of

gamedevelopers,comparedto29%lastyearand

24%in2022.Menstillmakeuptwo-thirds(66%)ofdevelopers.However,thatnumberwas75%in2020,meaningwe’veseena9-pointchangeoverthepastfiveyears.

LGBTQ+

Prefernot

toanswer7%

Yes24%

LGBTQrepresentationamongdevelopershasalso

increased,withone-fourthofrespondentsidentifyingasLGBTQ+(upfrom21%in2024).Nearlyhalf(43%)of18–24-year-olddevelopersidentifyasLGBTQ+,and

womendevelopersarealmostfourtimesmorelikelythanmentodoso.

No69%

GENDER

Prefernot

toanswer2%

Notlisted

(pleasespecify)

0.3%

Man66%

Non-binary6%

Woman25%

35%

arewhite,male,

notpartofthe

LGBTQ+community

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|3

COMMUNITY

TheGlobal

GameDevelopmentCommunity

Thisyear’sStateoftheGame

Industryreportincludesdevelopersfrom86countries,spreadoutoversixcontinents.

TheUnitedStateshasthelargestconcentrationofrespondents,alongwithEuropeancountriesliketheUK,France,andGermany.Othercountriesofnote

includeCanada,Brazil,India,China,andMexico.

TheGameDevelopersConferenceisintheUnited

States––asaremanyattendees,whotendtobethebulkofrespondentstoourannualsurvey.Someresponses

inthissurveymayoverlyrepresenttheexperiencesofdevelopersintheWestandmaynotalwaysreflecttheviewsoftheglobalcommunityatlarge.

<<<<<<<<

COUNTRIESWITHTHEMOSTRESPONDENTS

UnitedStates58%UnitedKingdom7%Canada6%Australia3%

France1.4%Germany1.3%India1.3%

Poland1.6%Brazil1.6%Sweden1.4%

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|4

COMMUNITY

<<<<<<<<

Race/Ethnicity

WehaveseenachangeinraciaIandethnicdiversityinthegamedeveIopmentcommunitysinceIastyear--thoughit’saIittIemoredifficuIttoquantify1asmanyofthechangesaretoosmaIItodrawconcIusions.Accordingtothesurvey116%ofdeveIopersareEast1South1orSoutheastAsian1one-tenthareHispanic1Latino1orofSpanishorigin1and3%areBIack1African1orCaribbean.

Thecombinedincreasesdidmanifestinayear-over-yeardecreaseinthenumberofrespondentsidentifyingasWhiteorCaucasian--goingfrom64%in2024to

59%today.

59%

10%

9%

5%

4%

4%

3%

3%

2%

0.4%

0.3%

White/Caucasian

Hispanic1LatinoorSpanishoriginEastAsian

MuItipIeethnicities/NotIistedPrefernottoanswer

SoutheastAsian

BIack/African/CaribbeanSouthAsian

MiddIeEasternorNorthAfrican

NativeHawaiianorOtherPacificIsIanderAmericanIndianorAIaskaNative

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl5

COMMUNITY

TheDeveloper’sRole

Despitethesurgeinlayoffs,the

breakdownofjobrolesinthegame

industryhasremainedconsistent.

Thetoprolesareingamedesign,

programming,andproduction&teammanagement,like2024.

Themajorityofrespondents(59%)areeithersolo

developersorworkforstudiosthataretheprimary

developersoftheirgames.Whenitcomestojobroles,newerdevelopersaremorelikelytohavecareersin

gamedesign,whilethosewithmoreexperiencetendtofavorproduction&teammanagement.

Gamenarrativejobshaveseenthemostyear-on-yeargrowth,goingfrom14%ofdevelopersin2024to17%ofthemtoday.However,gamenarrativeprofessionalsreportedbeingexcessivelyimpactedbylayoffsinthelastyear.

JOBROLE

GameDesign35%

Programming/Engineering34%

Production&TeamManagement31%

VisualArts20%

Business&Finance19%

Narrative/Writing17%

Community/Marketing/PR14%

QualityAssurance11%

Audio10%

Notlisted(pleasespecify)9%

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|6

COMMUNITY

YEARSININDUSTRY

STUDIOSIZE

CurrentIy160%ofgamedeveIopersreport

having10yearsorIessexperienceinthe

<2

6-107%11-207%

11-1514%

13%

MyseIfonIy21%

251-500

7%

industry.That’supfrom56%Iastyearand57%theyearbeforethat.

Wehaveseenashiftinthenumberof

101-250

8%

51-100

8%

respondentswhoareworkingassoIo

15+22%

24%

3-5

Morethan

50018%

deveIopers1increasingfrom18%in2024to21%today.Infact1therearenowmoredeveIopersworkingaIonethantherearedeveIopersat

studioswithover500peopIe.

6-1022%

21-5010%2-514%

STUDIOTYPE

21%

ofdevelopersworkalone

IndieStudioAAAStudio

AAStudio

IndependentContractor/FreeIanceEducation

Co-DeveIopmentTeam

PubIishing

ConsuIting

CreativeServices(marketing1IegaI1etc.)

NonprofitInvestingRecruiting

PrefernottoanswerOther(pIeasespecify)

ThepercentageofrespondentswhoworkatindiestudiosorAAstudioshasnotchanged1

butwehaveseenadecreaseinAAAstudio

representation—goingfrom18%in2024to

15%today.OfthoseAAAdeveIopers1aImost

haIfofthemworkatcompanieswithover250

empIoyees1whiIeoverhaIfofindiedeveIopersworkforcompanieswith20peopIeorfewer.

<<<<<<<<<

32%

6%

5%

4%

10%

8%

10%

15%

3%

3%

1%

0.4%

0.1%

2%

05101520253035

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl7

GDC

2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY

2

“I’vebeenlaidoffbefore,butthiswasbyfarthe

longestit’stakenmetofindwork.Itwasscary,andmylifewasflippedupsidedown.”

INDUSTRYLAYOFFS

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|8

INDUSTRYLAYOFFS

Onein10gamedevelopershavebeenlaidoffinthe

pastyear.

Layoffshavebecomepartoftheindustry,with

announcementsnowaweekly,ifnotdaily,

occurrence.About11%ofrespondentsreported

beinglaidoffinthepast12months.Altogether,41%ofgamedevelopershavebeenimpactedbylayoffsthisyear,upfrom35%inour2024report.

(Thatnumbermayactuallybehigher,asmanyofour“N/A”write-inresponseswerefromstudentsandgraduateswhoarehavingtroublefindingjobsinthecurrentmarket.)

Developersarefeelingtheweightofthisacrosstheboard.Lastyear,

amajority(53%)ofdeveloperssaidtherehadbeennolayoffsattheir

companies:Today,thatnumberisdownto43%.Moredeveloperssaw

theirdirectcolleagues(29%)beinglaidoffthanworkersinotherteams

anddepartments(18%).Inaddition,4%saidtheirstudioswereshutdown.

It’sawidespreadissuethathasyettostabilize.

>>>>>>>>

HOWHAVELAYOFFSIMPACTEDYOUOR

YOURCOMPANY?(CHOOSEALLTHATAPPLY)

Therewerenolayoffs

Colleagueswerelaidoff Otherteams/departmentshadlayoffsIwaslaidoff

Ourstudio/companycloseddown

N/A

29%

43%

4%

1

18%

11%

6%

01020304050

HOWCONCERNEDAREYOUABOUTFUTURELAYOFFS?

Notatallconcerned30%Slightlyconcerned24%

Veryconcerned18%

Somewhatconcerned16%Other/N/A12%

GDC2025STATEOFTHEINDUSTRY|9

INDUSTRYLAYOFFS

LAYOFFSBYJOBROLE

However,whenaskedhowconcernedtheywereaboutfuturelayoffsattheircompanies,thenumbersdidn’tchangemuch.About58%

ofrespondentsexpressedsomelevelofconcern,similartolastyear.Thenumberofpeoplewhoweren’tconcernedatalldidgodown,though,from35%in2024to30%today.

Interestingly,thisquestionalsosawanuptickinpeoplewritingin

theirown“N/A”responses,sayingthatthequestiondidn’tapply

19%Narrative

16%VisualArts

16%Production&Team

Management

becausetheywerealreadylaidofforotherwiseunemployed.Inotherwords,itwasn’taconcernnowbecause,insomeway,ithadalreadyhappenedtothem.

$

P++

Business&Finance

9%GameDesign

6%

12%Programming/Engineering

16%

ofdevelopersnowworking

alonegotlaidoffinthe

pastyear.

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|10

INDUSTRYLAYOFFS

TOP3REASONSCOMPANIESGAVEFORLAYOFFS*

WhyIsThisStillHappening?

22%

18%

AsstudiosandpubIisherscontinuetoIayoffdeveIopersacrossthegameindustry1workersandindustryIeadershavebeenIookingtopIacethe

responsibiIitysomewhere.

Accordingtooursurvey1thetopreasoncompanieshavegiventheir

15%

empIoyeesforIayoffsisrestructuring(ageneraItermforreorganizingabusinesstomakeitmoreprofitabIe)1foIIowedbydecIiningrevenueandmarketshifts.

Restructuring

MarketShifts/IndustryTrends

DecliningRevenue

*19%ofdeveloperssaidtherewas

“noreasongiven”

DeveIoperswereaIsoaskedtosharewhattheyfeeIisresponsibIeforthe

riseinIayoffs.WhiIemanyofthemrecognizedthatrevenueandmarket

shiftswerepartoftheprobIem1theypIacedmostofthebIameonspecificissuesIikeCovid-eraoverexpansion1risingproductioncosts1decIiningpIayerinterest1unreaIisticexpectationsforthe“nextbighit1”andpoorIeadershipandmismanagement.

ThatIsforthosewhoevengotanexpIanation:19%ofdeveIoperstoIdustherewas“noreasongiven”foranyoftheircompany’sIayoffs.

“Inthisindustry,wesetimpossiblegoalsandthenfireeveryoneiftheyprovetobeimpossible.Weneedtoapplyleanandagile

processesinsteadofshootingforthemooneverysingletime.”

FREQUENTLYMENTIONEDTERMS:

Pandemic/Covid25%Greed13%Over-hiring....................................................13%

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl11

INDUSTRYLAYOFFS

INYOURWORDS:

IfyouIostyourjob,haveyoubeenabIe

tofindanewone?

“Yes.ItwastheworstjobhuntI'vehadsinceIwasastudent.”

“Ihavebeenlaidoffthree

timesinthelastyear.ThefirsttwotimesIwasabletofindarole.Mycurrentstudiojustlaideveryoneoff.Iwasonlytherefourmonthsandhaven'tfoundanythingyet.”

“Ihaveanewjobbutit’sawayworsepaylevel.”

“Ittookmeoneyearand

eightmonthstobuildup

enoughconsultingtosurvive.Sohardtofindafull-time

gigrightnowstill.”

“Stillunemployedafterayear.”

“Ihadtogetajobinadifferentindustry.”

“No.It'sbeenoverayear

and500+applicationswhile

workingtocreateandimprovemyportfolio.Itfeelshopelessattimes.”

“Thegamesindustryiskillingme.”

“Yes.Withinaboutamonth,Iwasabletofindabetter

positionthanmyformeremployercouldoffer.”

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|12

GDC

3

2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY

GENERATIVEAI

“Gamedevelopmentissupposedtobeartand

anexpressionofone’simagination,notanAI-

generatedconceptwithnorealthoughtprocess.”

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|13

GENERATIVEAI

Overthepastyear,GenerativeAIhasshifted

fromaconceptintoacommontool.InvestorsarepumpingbillionsofdollarsintoAIcompanies,

studiosarebusydevelopingtheirownproprietarytools,andAI-generatedcontenthasarobust

footholdinsearchengines,socialmediaplatforms,andadvertisements.

Thegameindustryisnotimmunetothischange.Accordingtooursurvey,amajority(52%)ofdevelopersworkatcompanieswhere

GenerativeAItoolsarebeingused.One-third(36%)ofdeveloperssaytheyusethempersonally,upfrom31%lastyear.

Butitappearsthatasusagehasgoneup,curiosityhasgonedown.Lessthanone-tenth(9%)ofdeveloperssaytheircompaniesare

interestedinGenerativeAItools,downfrom15%lastyear.In

AREGENERATIVEAITOOLSUSEDATYOURCOMPANYORDEPARTMENT?

0510152025303540

Iusethem36%No,wehavenointerest27%Someofmycolleaguesdo16%No,butwe'reinterested9%

Don’tknow7%

Other5%

DEVELOPERSWHOUSEGENERATIVEAITHEMOST

Whenaskedwhatapplicationstheysawfortheuseof

GenerativeAIinthegame

industry,developerspointedtotaskslikecodingassistance,conceptartand3Dmodel

generation,andautomationofrepetitivetasks(developers

comparison,27%saytheircompanieshavenointerestinusingthem,a9-pointincreasefrom2024.

51%

OLDERDEVELOPERS

aremoreIikeIyto

useGenerativeAI

thanYOUNGERONES

39%

41%

Business&Finance

Production&

Community’

Marketing’&PR

madesimilarsuggestionsinour2024survey).

TeamLeadership

Butthewordusedmostfrequentlyintheirresponseswas“none.”

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|14

GENERATIVEAI

WHAT’SYOURCOMPANY’SPOLICYONGENERATIVEAITOOLS?

35%

24%

16%

MoreCompaniesHaveAIPolicies

AsgamedeveIopershaveadoptedGenerativeAI1

empIoyershaveexpandedpoIiciesreguIatingitsusage.

AImosttwo-thirds(64%)ofdeveIoperssaytheyworkat

THEY’REOPTIONAL

WE’RENOTALLOWEDTOUSEANY

NOPOLICY

4%

9%

12%

companieswithsomeformofinternaIpoIicyforGenerativeAIuse1upfrom51%in2024.Thatamountincreasesto78%fordeveIopersatAAAstudios.

We’veseenamoresubstantiaIriseinthenumberof

deveIoperswhosecompaniesaIIowoptionaIuseof

GenerativeAItooIs—aIongwithcompaniesthatdon’taIIowthemtobeusedataII.

DON'TKNOW/N/A

THEY’REMANDATED

SELECTTOOLSALLOWED,

OTHERSNOT

ThenumberofdeveIoperswhosaythey’rerequiredtouseGenerativeAItooIsonthejobdoubIed1thoughit’sstiIIonIyat4%.

“Myworkplacehasimplementedastrict‘NoGenerativeAI’policyinallofourcontracts,andIthinkit’sexcellent.”

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl15

DeveloperConcernsGrow

+/Positive

-/Negative

.

”

.

GenerativeAIawarenessandusemayhaveincreasedoverthepastyear1butdeveIoperopinionsonthetechnoIogyaresouring.

21%

2024

18%

2024

13%

2025

30%

2025

Accordingtooursurvey113%ofdeveIopersbeIieveGenerativeAIishavingapositiveimpactonthegameindustry1downfrom21%.MeanwhiIe130%ofrespondentssaidithashadanegativeimpact1a12-pointincreasefrom2024.Lastyear1deveIopersweremorefavorabIethanopposedtoGenerativeAI.ThatisnoIongerthecase.

ItappearsthatdeveIoperopinionsonthetechnoIogyarehardeningtoo.ThenumberwhosaidGenerativeAIishavingamixedimpactdecreasedfrom57%in2024to51%today.WhiIestiIIamajorityofrespondents1thisindicatesthatmoredeveIopersare

deveIopingfirmer(andincreasingIynegative)opinionsonGenerativeAI.

ThenumberofrespondentswhoareconcernedabouttheethicsofGenerativeAIin

sharedtheir

1,500

DEVELOPERS

gamedeveIopmenthasnotchangedmuch1buttheseverityoftheirconcernshas.Thisyear1overhaIf(51%)ofdeveIoperssaytheyareveryconcerned1upfrom42%Iastyear.

concernsabout

GenerativeAIforthisyear’ssurvey.

Whenaskedtocitetheirspecificconcerns1deveIoperspointedtointeIIectuaIpropertytheft1energyconsumption1thequaIityofAI-generatedcontent1potentiaIbiases1andreguIatoryissues.

SeveraIdeveIopersaIsopointedtofearsofjobdispIacement.However1oursurveyshowsthatdeveIoperswhohadbeenIaidoffinthepastyearwerenomoreIikeIytohaveconcernswithGenerativeAIthanthosewhohadn’tbeen.

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl16

GENERATIVEAI

INYOURWORDS:

WhatconcernsdoyouhaveaboutGenerativeAI,

andwhatcanbedonetoaddressthem?

"Itcanbeapowerfultool,butpeople

takingcreditforworktheydidnotdo

“Weshouldusegenerative

orusingsourcecodetheydonot

AItohelppeoplebefasterat

understandcanhaveconsequences."

theirjobs,notlosethem.”

“AIcompaniesneedto

"Nomatterhowyouput

"AIishere,likeit

ornot.Responsible

useiskey."

incorporatetheconcept

it,GenerativeAIisn,ta

ofconsentintohowthey

greatreplacementfor

sourcedatasets.”

realpeopleandqualityis

goingtobedamaged."

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|17

GDC

2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY

4ENGINES&PLATFORMS

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|18

ENGINES&PLATFORMS

WHICHPLATFORM(S)AREBEINGUSEDFORYOURCURRENTPROJECT?

PassionforPC

80%

PC

PlayStation5(or5Pro)

XboxSeriesX/S

Android

iOS

DevelopmentExplodes

38%

34%

29%

Everyyear,weaskdeveloperstosharewhatplatformsthey’vebeenmakinggamesfor,andwhichonestheyplanonsupportingin

28%

thefuture.

23%

Mac

PChasconsistentlybeentheplatformofchoice,butthisyearsawitsdominanceincreaseevenmore:80%ofdevelopers

20%

NintendoSwitch

Webbrowser

VR/AR

XboxGamePass

Linux

PlayStationPlus(ExtraorPremium)

NintendoSwitch2

16%

saidthey’recurrentlymakinggamesforPC(upfrom66%),andthree-fourths(74%)saidtheplatformisofinteresttothem(upfrom62%).

14%

Theexactreasonforthisjumpisunclear,butitcouldbe

13%

connectedtotherisingpopularityofValve’sSteamDeck.

12%

>>>>>>>>>>

Thisyear'ssurveydidn'tsingleoutSteam(orValve'shandheldgamingcoputer)asitsownplatform,becauseit'sahubfor

9%

PCandMacgames.Butitappearssomedevelopersdoviewitasauniqueplatform.Forexample,whenaskedtoname

8%

otherplatformsthatinterestthem,almosthalf(44%)wroteinSteamDeck.

4%

3%

3%

1%

Tabletopgames

Mediaplatforms(Netflix,TikTok,etc.)

UGCplatforms(Roblox,Minecraft,UEFN,etc.)

Playdate

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|19

PlayStationcontinuesitsconsoleleadoverXbox.About

38%ofdevelopersarecurrentlymakinggamesforPS5

hardware(comparedto34%forXboxSeriesX|S),and37%areturningtoPlayStationfortheirnextprojects(comparedto33%forXbox).

However,XboxisoutperformingPlayStationinonearea:

cloudservices.About13%ofdevelopersarecurrently

makinggamesforXboxGamePass,comparedto9%forPlayStationPlus(ExtraorPremium).

20%

Switchsuccessor

16%

XboxGamePass

27%

iOS

28%

Android

21%

NintendoSwitch

37%

PlayStation

33%

Xbox

11%

PlayStationPlus

ENGINES&PLATFORMS

NEXTPROJECT(BYPLATFORM)

PIayStation

XboxGamePass

iOS

NintendoSwitch

vs.Xbox

vs.PIayStationPIus

vs.Android

vs.successor

WEBBROWSERDEVELOPMENT,YEARBYYEAR

Mobilegamedevelopmenthasincreasedforthefirst

makinggamesforAndroidand28%foriOS(upfrom24%and23%respectively).MuchofthatisinBrazilandthe

EastandSouth/Central/WestAsiaregions,whereoverhalfofdeveloperssaytheyworkonmobilegames.

Butthebiggestsurprisethisyearmightbebrowser

games.Accordingtooursurvey,16%ofdevelopersare

workingonreleasesforwebbrowsers.That’supfrom9%lastyearand11%theyearbefore.It'sactuallythehighestpercentageofdeveloperswe'veseenworkingonweb

browsergamesinadecade.

timesince2020,with29%ofdeveloperscurrently

30

一25

一20

一15

10

2013

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2014

2021

2021

2023

2024

2025

>>>>>>>>>

2020

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|20

ENGINES&PLATFORMS

35%ofallgame

developerswork

inVR/ARdevelopment

Thenumberofdevelopersworkinginvirtualandaugmentedrealityhasstayedconsistent,ashavetheplatformsofchoice.

Accordingtooursurvey,theMetaQuest/HorizonStore

remainsthedominantspaceforVR/ARdevelopers,with59%currentlymakinggamesfortheplatform.ThisisfollowedbySteamVR(31%)andPlayStationVR/VR2(16%).

Althoughonly8%ofVR/ARdevelopersarecurrentlymaking

gamesforApplevisionOS,theplatformlookstobegrowingitsfoothold.Almostone-fifth(18%)ofrespondentssaytheirnextgameswillbeontheplatform,andone-fourthareinterestedinApple’sVRheadset.

Wecan’taccuratelycomparethesenumberstoprevious

years,asthiswasthefirsttimethesequestionswereaskedexclusivelyofVR/ARdevelopers.

WHICHVR/ARPLATFORM(S)MOSTINTERESTYOUASADEVELOPERRIGHTNOW?

MetaQuest/HorizonStore

SteamVR

ApplevisionOS

PlayStationVR/VR2

AppleARKit

EpicGamesStore

HTCViveport

GoogleARCore

SideQuest

MagicLeap

PICOStore

Other

45%

26%

25%

63%

10%

12%

13%

11%

9%

4%

4%

5%

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|21

ENGINES&PLATFORMS

WHATGAMEENGINEAREYOUPRIMARILYUSINGFORYOURCURRENTGAME?

Godot4%

CryEngine0.2%

MuItipIe/Other8%

O3DE0.1%

32%

Unity

and

Unreal

Remainon

Top

InSeptember2024,UnityannounceditwouldbereversingitscontroversialRuntimeFeepolicy,whichthreatenedtochargedevelopersanextra

feebasedonrevenueorinstalls.FirstreportedbyGameDeveloper,thisannouncementcameontheheelsofayearlongbacklashagainsttheproposedfee,onethatdrovesomedevelopersawayfromUnity.

Thisyear1weonceagainaskeddeveIoperstoidentifytheenginesthey’reusingtomaketheirgames1toseeiftherehavebeenanynotabIechangesfoIIowingthebackIash.LikeIastyear’ssurvey1UnityandUnreaIEngine

remainthemostusedgameenginesfordeveIopers1tiedat32%each.

Unity

N/A-not

invoIvedingame

deveIopment10%

Proprietary/

In-house13%

UnreaI32%

ThisisIargeIyunchangedfrom20241whenitwas33%each.Atthistime1itappearsthatfewdeveIopershavemovedonfromUnity.

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRYl22

ENGINES&PLATFORMS

INYOURWORDS:

What’syouronebigideathatwouldimprovethegameindustry?

“OhmygodthisisawaybiggerquestionthanI

expectedinthissurvey!”

“Vetleadersaswellaswevetnewhires.”

“Payme.”

“TeachingStudios:Studiosbuilttoproducetitles

usingmostlynewentrantsintotheindustryexplicitly.”

“AbolitionoftheNDAsopeoplecantalk

aboutpriorwork.Evencancelledprojects.”

“Apprenticeships.”

“TalentSovereignty

Networkthatwould

allowcreativesdirect

controlovertheirdigitallikeness,voice,and

creativeoutput.”

“Paytransparency.Morecompetitive

distributionoptions.”

“Cross-companyinsurancepooling(US-specific).”

“Ihavenoclueit,ssofuckedrightnow.”

“Widespreadunionizing.”

“Makeselling/releasingsourcecodefor

oldgamesamorecommonpractice.”

“Moreco-opsand

employee-ownedstudios.”

“Maketheminimum costofagamebe99￠.Nofreegames.”

“Morepublicfunding

forindiestudios.

Addgamestopublic

subsidizedartsprograms.”

“Real-timeprofanity/abusefilterforonlinechatinteractions."

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|23

GDC

2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY

5THEBUSINESSOFGAMES

GDC2025STATEOFTHEGAMEINDUSTRY|24

THEBUSINESSOFGAMES

Oneofthebiggestissuesmentionedwasmarketoversaturation1withmanydeveIopersnotinghowtoughitistobreakthroughandbuiIdasustainabIepIayerbase.

DevelopersareDividedonLive-ServiceGames

Live-servicegameshavebecomepartoftheindustry’secosystem1withgamesIikeFortnite1Warframe1andGenshinImpactcontinuingtosuccessfuIIyengagepIayerswithnewcontentandexperiences.

ButforeveryValorant1there’sbeenaConcord1anAnthem1oraRedfall.Live-servicegamescanbeaIucrativeandsustainingbusinessmodeI1butit’sonethat’sseenaIotoffaiIuresandmissedopportunities.

AIIthatbeingsaid:AreIive-servicegamesworththeriskfordeveIopers?

WeaskedoursurveyrespondentswhethertheywouIdbeinterestedindeveIopingaIive-servicegameastheirnexttitIe.About

13%saidtheywouId1whiIe42%saidtheywerenotinterestedand29%saidtheydidn’tknow(oritwasn’tappIicabIe

tothem).

Around16%ofdeveIoperssaidtheyaIready

workonIive-servicegames1andthatnumberincreasesto33%forAAAdeveIopers.

DeveIoperopinionsonthevaIueof

Iive-servicegamesweremixed.Many

respondentssaidtheysawthevaIuein

Iive-service—notonIyonthefinanciaI

side1butaIsointhepIayerexperienceandcommunitybuiIding.

OthersnotedtheirconcernsaboutdecIiningpIayerinterest1creativestagnation1

predatorypracticesandmicrotransactions1andtheriskofdeveIoperburnout.

33%

ofAAAdevelopers

games

workonlive-service

WOULDYOUWANTTOMAKEALIVE-SERVICEGAMEASYOURNEXTTITLE?

13%

Yes

Ialreadydevelop

No42%

live-servicegames16%

Don’tknow/N/A29%

TOPMEASURESOFLIVE-SERVICESUCCESS

62%

StabIe

Concurrent

User(CCU)base

40%

Percentage

32%

Percentage

ofmonetized

pI