Other One-Third of U.S. Video Game Industry Workers Were Laid Off

[Demon_Skeith]

One-third of U.S. video game industry workers say they were laid off over the past two years, according to a new survey conducted by the organizers behind the newly revamped Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Based on responses from more than 2,300 gaming industry professionals, with surveys “customized for each participant group, ensuring that developers, marketers, executives, investors and others answered questions most relevant to them,” the 2026 State of the Game Industry Report found that 33% of respondents in the U.S. were laid off in the past two years.

That stat reduces to 28% when looking on a global scale. Half of those surveyed reported their current or most recent employer has conducted layoffs in the past 12 months.

Per the report, “Those at AAA studios were highly likely to have experienced layoffs at their companies; two-thirds of respondents at AAA studios said their companies had layoffs. One-third of people working at indie studios reported the same.”

Source

 

[froggyboy604]

Hopefully, the 1/3rd of video game workers can quickly find new jobs.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

Makes you wonder where all these people are going, specially with the USA having mass layoffs as a whole as well.

 

[froggyboy604]

I feel some game workers who lost their job maybe making their own games and game content to sell online, and working non-gaming related jobs until they are hired by a gaming company.

 

[Artisan Vistra]

You would think, with enough people laid off in the game development industry, that there's enough people to group together and start their own studios. The problem there is time and money. I still think it's good to have a backup plan when you get to that level of experience.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

You would think, with enough people laid off in the game development industry, that there's enough people to group together and start their own studios. The problem there is time and money. I still think it's good to have a backup plan when you get to that level of experience.

I think there is time, but lack of money and or risk.