One-third of the mobile game development industry's workforce has faced layoffs over the past two years, according to a groundbreaking study conducted by the organizers behind the newly revamped Game Developers Conference (GDC). This significant statistic was revealed through responses from more than 2,300 gaming industry professionals.
The survey, designed to capture the pulse of the industry, found that 33% of respondents in the United States had been laid off in the past two years. When looking at the global scale, this percentage drops to 28%. Furthermore, half of those surveyed reported that their current or most recent employer had conducted layoffs within the past 12 months.
The Impact on AAA and Indie Studios
The report also shed light on the impact of layoffs across different types of studios. Notably, two-thirds of respondents at AAA studios reported experiencing layoffs at their companies. In contrast, one-third of those working in indie studios shared the same experience.
A Call to Unionize?
The study also explored sentiment around unionization efforts within the mobile game development industry. The results showed that 82% of US-based respondents support the unionization of game industry workers, with 5% opposed and 13% unsure. Notably, support was higher among those earning under $200,000 per year (87%), those who had been laid off in the past two years (88%), and people younger than 45 (86%). In fact, no respondents aged 18-24 were opposed to unionization.
The Future of Mobile Game Development
The release of this report comes ahead of the GDC Festival of Gaming, which will run from March 9-13 in San Francisco. This year's event has been reworked into a renamed festival that will focus on a larger portion of the gaming industry with additional tracks of programming.
Download the full report for free and get insights into layoffs, generative AI adoption and sentiment, unionization efforts, development platforms and priorities, business pressures, emerging trends, and more.