Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference (GDC, now the GDC Festival of Gaming) is the professional event for the games industry. It publishes recorded talks and interviews, annual industry survey reports such as the State of the Game Industry, and news articles.
Documents
GDC State of the Industry: Developer Perspectives on Steam Revenue Shares
The eighth annual State of the Industry survey, conducted in early 2020, examines developer sentiment regarding the digital distribution landscape, specifically focusing on the perceived fairness of Steam’s standard 30 percent revenue share.
- Only 6% of surveyed game developers believe Steam's standard 30% revenue cut is justified.
- The most popular preferred revenue share for Steam is 15%, supported by 25% of respondents.
- A significant portion of developers favor lower fees, with 21% of respondents suggesting a 10% cut and 17% suggesting a 20% cut.
GDC State of the Industry: Nearly Half of Game Makers Still Work Over 40 Hours/Week
The eighth annual State of the Industry survey provides a comprehensive look at labor trends and professional sentiment within the global game development sector.
- Approximately 44% of game industry professionals report working more than 40 hours per week, a figure that has remained largely unchanged from the previous year's 46%.
- Self-pressure is the primary driver of overwork, cited by 59% of respondents as the reason for their maximum weekly hours.
- While the majority of the industry works 40 hours or less, extreme cases persist, with 1% of respondents reporting workweeks exceeding 90 hours and some individuals reaching as high as 120 hours in a single week.
GDC State of the Industry: Devs Irked by 30 Percent Storefront Revenue Cuts
The ninth annual State of the Industry survey, conducted by the Game Developers Conference, provides a comprehensive look at the professional landscape of the global gaming sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Only 3% of surveyed developers believe the standard 30% revenue share taken by digital storefronts is justified, a decline from 6% in the previous year's survey.
- Despite pandemic-related challenges, 47% of studios expanded their staff over the past year, while 34% maintained their existing headcount.
- 44% of developers reported that their games suffered delays due to the pandemic, an increase from 33% reported in the summer of 2020.
Direct-to-Consumer: A $17 Billion Market for Mobile Gaming
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental structural shift toward direct-to-consumer (DTC) distribution models, a transition that has already established a $17 billion market.
- The mobile gaming direct-to-consumer (DTC) market has reached a valuation of $17 billion as publishers shift away from traditional app store ecosystems to reclaim platform fees.
- The global in-app purchase market is projected to grow to $721.4 billion by 2034, signaling a long-term shift toward DTC distribution across the digital economy.
- DTC models allow publishers to secure ownership of first-party player data, which is being used to drive long-term retention and competitive differentiation.