Job instability is widespread, with 10% of developers experiencing layoffs in the past year and 58% expressing concern over future job security.
See it on page 10Generative AI adoption is high, with 52% of studios using it company-wide, yet negative sentiment has risen to 30% due to ethical, IP, and displacement concerns.
See it on page 17Work-life balance is deteriorating, as the proportion of developers working over 50 hours per week increased from 8% to 13%, with half of the workforce viewing these hours as problematic.
See it on page 37Live-service development is cooling, with only 13% of studios planning to launch a new live title next year despite 42% currently maintaining existing ones.
See it on page 26Workforce diversity is showing modest gains, with women and non-binary developers rising to 32% of the industry and LGBTQ+ representation reaching 24%.
See it on page 4Union sentiment remains strong, with 69% of developers supporting unions and 58% advocating for industry-wide unionization, though actual discussion remains low at 22%.
See it on page 38The survey of more than 3,000 global developers in 2025 reveals a gaming industry grappling with persistent instability while making modest progress on diversity. Layoffs have risen, with one‑tenth of respondents reporting job losses in the past year and 58 % worried about future cuts. Women and non‑binary developers now account for 32 % of the workforce, up from 29 % in 2024, and LGBTQ+ representation reached 24 %, yet white males still dominate at 66 %. Revenue pressures and market shifts continue to drive restructuring, underscoring the sector’s vulnerability.
Generative AI has transitioned from a niche experiment to an integral part of many studios, with 36 % of developers using it personally and 52 % reporting company‑wide adoption. However, enthusiasm has cooled: only nine percent of companies plan to expand AI use, and negative perceptions have climbed to 30 % from 21 %. Ethical concerns, intellectual‑property risks, and fears of job displacement now affect more than half of respondents. Internal AI policies have expanded to 64 % of studios, and optional use has become more common, though a small minority mandate AI tools.
Live‑service development remains polarised. While 42 % of studios already produce live titles, only 13 % intend to launch one next year. AAA developers are more inclined (33 %) due to potential financial upside and sustained player engagement, yet worries about market saturation, creative fatigue, predatory monetization, and burnout persist. Media adaptations interest 36 % of AAA studios, whereas internal pitch activity has fallen. Self‑funding remains the dominant financing method (56 %), though success rates vary across funding models.
Work‑hour patterns signal growing strain: the share of developers working over 50 hours a week has risen from 8 % to 13 %, and half of respondents now view excess hours as problematic. Union support remains robust at 69 %, with 58 % advocating industry unionisation, yet only 22 % have discussed it in the past year. These findings illustrate a sector negotiating between rapid technological change, creative ambition, and labour‑market pressures across diverse geographic regions and studio sizes.
