A new survey suggests that one in 10 game developers will lose their jobs in 2024

One in 10 game developers lost their jobs in 2024, according to the annual findings State of the Game Developers Conference Video Game Survey. The survey surveyed over 3,000 developers and covered a number of topics including layoffs in the industry and the type of games game developers are working on.

Layoffs abound He owns The industry was destroyed over the past two years, making the question of its impact on developers one of the top questions in the survey. In addition to 10% of developers losing their jobs, 41% of respondents said they were affected by layoffs in some way, either by being laid off directly or seeing coworkers or colleagues in other departments being let go. The survey also indicated that the number of people affected was likely much higher due to students and graduates reporting that they had difficulty getting a job in the industry at all.

When asked what prompted companies to lay off workers, 22 percent said restructuring while 18 percent said decreased revenues. 19% gave no reason at all. However, developers have their own ideas about why layoffs keep happening. In analyzing responses to what developers believe is the reason behind layoffs, the majority were general statements about the industry overextending during the pandemic. Companies have poached workers and studios in hopes of meeting a level of demand for games that has dried up as coronavirus restrictions ease. However, some developers believe the reason for the layoffs is much simpler. Companies like Microsoft and Sony Still reporting growing revenues despite multiple rounds Layoffs and studio Closing. It’s no surprise, then, that 13% of respondents attributed layoffs to corporate greed.

In addition to layoffs, the past few years have also seen a number of businesses fail High-profile, big-budget games and live service. While there has been some success in this area with new games such as Marvel competitorsit’s generally difficult to release a live service game that can compete with mainstream games like fortnite, Robloxand Call of duty. 2024 was also the year this happened Balatro, Animal welland Astro Bot The headlines and awards lists dominated, indicating a greater appetite for those types of films Smaller scale single player experiences. Interestingly, and perhaps alarmingly, according to the survey, more than 30 percent of AAA developers are working on a live service game.

When developers were asked for their thoughts on live service games, the survey responded: “One of the biggest issues cited was over-saturation of the market, with many developers noting how difficult it is to penetrate and build a sustainable player base.”