The 13th annual State of the Game Industry Survey has shed light on how game developers view various pressing challenges in the industry, particularly the rise of generative AI technologies.
Generative AI in Game Development
A substantial 52% of survey participants reported working for companies that actively utilize generative AI.
Among these respondents, 36% acknowledged that they personally incorporate these AI tools into their game development workflows.
Despite this widespread adoption, approximately 30% of developers voiced worries that generative AI could harm the gaming industry.
This marks an increase of 12% from 2023, highlighting rising apprehensions.
Concerns center around issues such as potential intellectual property theft, significant energy consumption, and biases embedded in AI systems.
Interestingly, the survey indicated that employees in Business and Finance roles are the heaviest users of AI, with 51% reporting regular engagement with these tools.
Production and Team Leadership followed closely behind at 41%, while Community, Marketing, and PR professionals came in at 49%.
Additionally, the usage rate for younger developers aged 18-34 was 28%, notably lower than the 47% reported by those aged 55 and above.
Diversity and Employment Concerns
The debate over AI’s role in gaming remains heated, particularly regarding fears of job displacement.
Electronic Arts’ CEO has acknowledged that while initial AI adoption could lead to job losses, history suggests technological advancements generally create more employment opportunities in the long run.
This perspective is particularly relevant, given the ongoing strike by video game actors, which is fueled in part by concerns over AI’s impact on their professions.
Aside from the AI discussion, the survey results indicate a positive trend toward diversity within the gaming workforce.
Men constituted 66% of respondents, down from 75% in 2020.
Meanwhile, the share of women and non-binary developers rose to 32%, up from 29% and 24% in previous years.
Additionally, 24% identified as LGBTQ+, and white developers accounted for 59% of the demographic.
Trends in Gaming Platforms
The issue of layoffs was also explored.
About 30% of respondents showed little concern regarding potential future job cuts.
The survey organizers suggested that this might stem from a significant number of “N/A” responses from those who had already faced job losses.
The gaming sector has experienced considerable layoffs throughout 2024 and continues to see job cuts into 2025.
Another noteworthy finding is that PC gaming remains the most popular platform, with 80% of respondents focusing their development efforts there.
Other platforms reported include the PS5 at 38%, Xbox Series X|S at 34%, Android at 29%, and iOS at 28%.
The appetite for live-service games appears lukewarm; 42% of developers indicated they prefer not to work on live-service projects for their next title, while only 13% expressed a keen interest in such projects.
This caution is evident given the intense competition in the live-service market, which recently led Sony to cancel two such projects, including one linked to the God of War franchise, as part of a broader strategic reevaluation.
This extensive survey captured the opinions of over 3,000 game developers, facilitated by a collaboration between the Game Developers Conference and Omdia.
It primarily reflects the insights of independent and AA studio developers, with the representation from AAA developers decreasing to 15%, down from 18% in the prior year.
Source: GameSpot