ReportGame Developers Conference
2025 GDC Trends Report: Connecting the World Through Games
1 May 202537 pages~55 min full read
The mobile in-game advertising market reached $100 billion in 2024, officially surpassing revenue generated from in-app purchases.
See it on page 21Financial instability has forced 56% of studios to rely on personal funding as the publishing landscape becomes increasingly selective.
See it on page 29The industry is experiencing a 17% layoff rate, which has served as a primary catalyst for the formation of the United Videogame Workers union.
See it on page 30Approximately one-third of developers are now integrating generative AI into workflows for prototyping and NPC creation, despite ongoing ethical and copyright concerns.
See it on page 6Studios are shifting focus from expensive new user acquisition to player re-acquisition, utilizing telemetry to drive personalized monetization in niche live service and hybrid-casual models.
See it on page 15The Accessible Games Initiative is standardizing storefront tags to support the 16% of the global population living with disabilities.
See it on page 24The indie title Balatro won the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards, highlighting the continued market viability of community-focused, innovative projects.
See it on page 32The global game industry in 2025 is defined by a strategic pivot toward practical generative AI implementation and sustainable monetization models in response to market saturation and rising development costs. Approximately one-third of developers now utilize AI tools to streamline prototyping and NPC creation, focusing on "human-in-the-loop" workflows to enhance personalization. However, this technological shift is met with significant friction regarding ethical sourcing, copyright concerns, and the potential displacement of narrative designers. To combat AAA stagnation, studios are increasingly adopting "niche" live service models and "hybrid-casual" mobile strategies, leveraging telemetry for personalized monetization and prioritizing player re-acquisition over expensive new user acquisition.
Financial sustainability has become a primary concern, with 56% of studios now relying on personal funding as the publishing landscape becomes more selective. This has led to a surge in self-publishing and the adoption of HTML5 and WebGPU technologies for more efficient cross-platform distribution. The mobile sector reflects this shift, with narrative-driven advertising propelling the in-game ad market to $100 billion in 2024, officially surpassing in-app purchase revenue. Simultaneously, the industry is embracing social responsibility through the Accessible Games Initiative, which introduces standardized storefront tags to assist the 16% of the global population living with disabilities.
The labor market is undergoing a historic transformation, marked by a 17% layoff rate that has catalyzed the formation of the United Videogame Workers union. Despite these workforce challenges, technical innovation continues across hardware and software, evidenced by the rise of affordable mixed-reality devices and the debut of high-performance handheld platforms like the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3. Creative excellence remains a central pillar of the industry, as demonstrated by the indie title Balatro winning Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards, signaling that innovative, community-focused projects can still achieve massive success in a highly competitive global market.
