Game Development reports and market data
Documents
State of the Industry 2019: Mental Health in the Game Industry
Take This, a mental health non-profit serving the game enthusiast community and game industry, presents a white paper on mental health in the game industry.
- Only one-third of developers remain in the game industry for 10 years or more, reflecting a career path with frequent extended hours and limited stability.
- 53% of game developers report that crunch is an expected component of their employment, while less than 18% report overtime compensation for work beyond 40 hours a week.
- The authors cite research indicating that projects completed with crunch were reported as 'very unsuccessful' at a rate of 32%, and that projects in workplaces with ongoing crunch culture were reported over 10 times more likely to be unsuccessful.
State of the Industry Report 1999
The 1999 State of the Industry Report, published by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), provides an overview of the computer and video game industry's growth, demographics, economic impact, and challenges as of 1999.
- The U.S. interactive entertainment industry reached $5.5 billion in sales by 1998, marking three consecutive years of double-digit growth and positioning software revenue to rival motion picture box office receipts by the end of 1999.
- The industry is a significant economic driver, directly employing 50,000 workers in the U.S. and contributing over $16 billion to the national economy.
- Gaming has shifted to a mainstream adult demographic, with individuals aged 18 or older now comprising 69 percent of PC players and 54 percent of console players.
Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2026 Economic Impact Report
The Entertainment Software Association commissioned TEConomy Partners, LLC to produce a 2026 economic impact analysis of the U.S. video game industry, based on employment data mostly captured between November and December 2025.
- The U.S. video game industry supported 250,838 total jobs and $95.8 billion in total economic impact in 2025.
- The 2025 database reports a decline of more than 21,100 industry workers compared with the 2023 database.
- California accounts for 44% of U.S. video game industry employment, with 36,217 direct jobs.
New York City Digital Games Industry: 2021 Economic Impact Study
This study, commissioned by the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and prepared by Buro Happold Cities with Public Works Partners and Pure+Applied, sizes New York City's digital games industry in 2020.
- In 2020, NYC's digital games industry supported approximately 7,600 total jobs, $762M in total wages, and $2B in total economic output, including indirect and induced effects.
- The six core sectors were directly responsible for 4,600 jobs, $489M in direct wages, and $1.3B in direct output in 2020.
- Publisher/developers paid the highest average wage in the industry, at $137,000 per job, compared with a citywide average of $93,000.
European Video Games Industry Insights Report: 2019
The European Video Games Industry Insights Report: 2019 was produced by the European Game Developers Federation (EGDF) and supported by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE).
- The combined revenue of game developers and publishers in EU Member States is around €12 billion, and the European Union imports more games than it produces.
- France, Sweden and Finland are the only three countries with national game industry ecosystems worth more than €1 billion in revenue.
- Germany and France are the only EU countries with more than ten thousand people working in the industry.
Revenue & Top Companies: Romania 2025
The Romanian game industry is projected to reach €351 million in total revenue by 2025, continuing a growth trend from €130 million in 2016, with a slight dip observed in 2023.
- The Romanian video game industry reached a total revenue of 351 million EUR in 2025, supported by a workforce of 6,000 professionals.
- The sector has shifted from a service-heavy model to a balanced mix of development and publishing, resulting in a 2.5-fold increase in game releases over the last two years.
- The industry is comprised of 234 active studios, with major international players like Electronic Arts Romania, Ubisoft, and Gameloft ranking among the top 30 companies by turnover.
A Deep Dive into Deep Links: The All-in-One Handbook for Mobile App Marketers, Developers, and Product Managers
This ebook from Adjust, an AppLovin company, is a handbook for mobile app marketers, developers, and product managers on deep linking.
- CleverTap found that users attributed to deep links, compared with users from standard links, had 81% higher activation rates.
- The document states that Google deprecated Firebase Dynamic Links, which was shut down on August 25, 2025.
- Adjust describes a three-step client migration process covering account setup, data migration via templated CSV, and campaign configuration.
La Industria del Videojuego en España: Anuario 2025
This is the 2025 Anuario (yearbook) of Spain's video game industry, published by AEVI, the Spanish Association of Video Games.
- Total 2025 sales in Spain were 2.293 million euros, a 3.2% decline from 2.369 million euros in 2024.
- Digital sales accounted for 1,419.5 million euros, or 61.9% of the total, while physical sales were 873.2 million euros.
- The number of players rose to 22.8 million in 2025 from 22.1 million in 2024.
The Alumni Effect: Studios Founded by Ex-Activision, Blizzard, and King Employees
The analysis examines the "alumni effect" within the gaming industry, specifically focusing on studios founded by former employees of Activision, Blizzard, and King (collectively, ex-ATVI).
- Between 2020 and 2024, 30 studios founded by former Activision Blizzard employees secured approximately $0.7 billion in venture capital across 45 funding rounds.
- Ex-Activision studios demonstrate a 'first-round momentum' effect, being roughly four times more likely than peer startups to secure a second round of financing within the same calendar year.
- Investor confidence in alumni teams peaked in 2021, when 43% of ex-Activision studios raised a subsequent round compared to only 9% of broader gaming startups.
Game Data: Building vs Buying
The document analyzes the strategic decision for game studios and publishers regarding whether to build an in-house data pipeline or purchase a third-party solution.
- Building an in-house data pipeline for a studio with 5 million MAU costs approximately $50,000 per month, compared to $5,900 per month for a third-party solution like GameAnalytics’ PipelineIQ Pro.
- Human capital is the primary cost driver for both approaches, accounting for 89% of the budget for in-house builds and 78% for vendor-managed pipelines.
- Third-party solutions offer significantly faster deployment timelines, ranging from hours to days, whereas custom in-house pipelines typically require months to implement.
A Shortcut to Your Own Game Insights Platform
This document outlines GameAnalytics' turn-key data solutions, "Player Warehouse" and "Raw Export," designed to provide game developers with deeper, more flexible access to their game data.
- GameAnalytics provides a turnkey data pipeline that eliminates the need for custom ETL development, proprietary SDKs, and ongoing infrastructure maintenance.
- The platform offers two primary data delivery methods: Player Warehouse for daily refreshed, SQL-ready event tables and Raw Export for real-time JSON streaming.
- A publisher utilizing Raw Export achieved a 50% increase in lifetime value (LTV) across 19 titles, while a VR MMO leveraged Player Warehouse to improve player engagement.
Your Data Tracking Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for GameAnalytics
This guide outlines a five-step process for developing a robust data tracking plan within GameAnalytics, emphasizing the importance of a structured approach to ensure valuable and actionable data.
- Establish a structured tracking plan by aligning business objectives and player behavior questions with seven predefined event categories: Session, Business, Resource, Progression, Error, Ads, and Impression.
- Limit custom events to a maximum of 50 unique identifiers to maintain data integrity and prevent system clutter.
- Adopt a consistent Category > Sub-Action naming framework to ensure clarity and prevent redundant or misleading data collection.
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