"One in 10" game developers were laid off in the past year, GDC survey of 3,000+ devs finds: "We set impossible goals and then fire everyone if they prove to be impossible"

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025 State of the Game Industry report found that 11% of game developers have been laid off in the past year, based on a pool of over 3,000 respondents.

You can view the full report for yourself. The report was assembled by the GDC team in partnership with research partners at Omdia, and in collaboration with Game Developer.

"One in 10 game developers have been laid off in the past year," reads a section dedicated to tracking layoffs. "Layoffs have become part of the industry, with announcements now a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. About 11% of respondents reported being laid off in the past 12 months. Altogether, 41% of game developers have been impacted by layoffs this year, up from 35% in our 2024 report."

A featured quote seemingly taken from one open-ended response reads: "In this industry, we set impossible goals and then fire everyone if they prove to be impossible. We need to apply lean and agile processes instead of shooting for the moon every single time."

Another standout statistic: only 43% of surveyed developers said there have been no layoffs at their companies in the last year. The survey also gauged concern regarding future layoffs, and just 30% of respondents said they are "not at all concerned," with 12% answering "other / N/A." The other 58% of game devs were slightly (24%), somewhat (16%), or very (18%) concerned about future layoffs. This figure is "similar to last year."

The survey found that the departments most affected by layoffs include:

• Narrative - 19%
• Production and team management - 16%
• Visual arts - 16%
• Programming or engineering - 12%
• Game design - 9%
• Business and finance - 6%

Developers impacted by layoffs were asked if they've found a new job, and the open-ended responses shed more light on the industry's job market. Highlighted, anonymous responses include a mix of 'yes, no, and yes but in a new field.' Here are a few examples:

• "No. It's been over a year and 500+ applications while working to create and improve my portfolio. It feels hopeless at times."
• "The games industry is killing me."
• "Yes. Within about a month, I was able to find a better position than my former employer could offer."
• "I have a new job but it's a way worse pay level."
• "I had to get a job in a different industry."

More layoffs reportedly hit Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League dev Rocksteady, including another cut to QA .