Report

State of the Game Industry 2017

1 January 201714 pages3,849 words

Summary

The 2017 State of the Game Industry report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the global development landscape leading into the 31st Game Developers Conference. Based on a survey of over 4,500 professional game developers, the data primarily reflects the perspectives of "journeyman" creators in North America (67%) and Europe (22%), with the largest segment of respondents (37%) possessing three to six years of industry experience. The findings highlight a significant shift in the immersive technology sector, where the HTC Vive emerged as the leading platform for VR/AR development, surpassing the Oculus Rift in both current usage and future interest. While 61% of developers are not yet involved in VR, those who are have increasingly moved toward the Vive, which 40% of respondents expect to support for their next projects. Despite concerns regarding hardware costs and motion sickness—which affects 83% of developers to some degree—75% of the industry views VR and AR as a sustainable long-term business, with a plurality predicting that augmented reality will be the dominant immersive tech within twenty years. In the broader platform market, PC (53%) and mobile (38%) remain the primary targets for development. Notably, Android (54%) surpassed iOS (51%) in developer interest for the first time in the survey's history. Regarding consoles, developers expressed cautious optimism for the Nintendo Switch, with 50% predicting it will outsell the Wii U. However, the industry remains divided on mid-cycle hardware refreshes like the PS4 Pro and Project Scorpio; while only 5% view them negatively, 41% remain undecided about their impact on the traditional "fixed-spec" benefits of console development. Financially, the industry continues to lean toward independence, with 55% of projects funded by internal company resources and 54% of developers operating without a traditional publisher. Confidence in crowdfunding saw a slight decline, with 46% of respondents expressing no interest in the model. Conversely, confidence in eSports reached an all-time high, with 90% of developers affirming its long-term sustainability as it moves toward mainstream social acceptance.

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The 2018 State of the Game Industry report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the global game development landscape leading into GDC 2018. Based on a survey of nearly 4,000 game developers, the findings highlight a significant shift in platform preference, the maturation of the virtual reality market, and evolving monetization strategies. The survey sample primarily represents North America (63%) and Europe (22%), with a workforce largely composed of developers with three to ten years of experience. A primary thesis of the findings is the resurgence of PC and console development at the expense of mobile platforms. While PC remains the dominant platform—with 60% of developers currently creating titles for it—interest in smartphones and tablets has slipped to 36%. The Nintendo Switch emerged as a major industry force; developer interest in the console (36%) surpassed both Xbox One and mobile. Furthermore, 28% of developers who launched on the Switch reported sales that exceeded their average on other platforms, and 73% expressed confidence that the Switch would outsell the Wii U. The report indicates a cooling of enthusiasm for Virtual Reality (VR). For the first time in three years, faith in the long-term sustainability of the VR/AR business declined, with 29% of respondents expressing skepticism. While the HTC Vive remains the most popular headset for development, many creators believe VR will not reach the household penetration levels of traditional consoles until after 2030, if ever. Instead, 42% of developers anticipate that mobile-based immersive reality will be the dominant technology within five years. Regarding business operations, the industry remains heavily reliant on self-funding, with 83% of developers using company or personal funds. Despite the public controversy surrounding "loot boxes," approximately 11% of developers plan to include paid item crates in their next projects. Marketing remains a largely internal effort, as less than a quarter of developers work with external publishers. Social media was identified as the most effective tool for game discovery, while eSports reached a record high in perceived long-term sustainability at 91%.

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State of the Game Industry 2017

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