- 44% of developers want to quit the gaming industry because of layoffs, according to Skillsearch.
- Only 35% of game developers worldwide haven’t been affected by layoffs recently.
- Furthermore, 64% of these developers oppose the proliferation of AI in the industry.
In the past few years, layoffs have become a constant in the gaming industry. This year alone, Epic laid off a whopping 1,000 developers, while studios like Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics also fired employees just last month.
With major publishers like Ubisoft pushing the rhetoric that layoffs are the only way the company can progress, developers are inclined to feel a little unsafe. Now, new research shows that almost half of the industry wants to quit due to this very lack of job safety.
Why it matters: With AI threatening to reduce jobs and companies rendering entire departments in studios around the globe useless, one cannot blame game developers for seeking another way to make money.
In a new study, recruitment company Skillsearch revealed that 44% of developers in the gaming industry want to leave due to the large number of layoffs. This research interviewed 1,000 employees in the gaming industry, working across sectors such as programming, art, and design in studios worldwide.
Only 35% of the participants were not affected by layoffs in the last 12 months, while the rest were either fired or faced redundancies in their studio. Furthermore, among all the game developers who were laid off, only 45% have found new jobs since, with a quarter of the demographic taking more than 6 months to find a new gig.
The study also revealed that nearly half of the gaming industry showcased problems with the utilisation of AI in development, with 64% believing it actually reduces creativity. The most common worries were regarding the decline in job security due to AI and its ethical deployment.
However, despite these concerns, more than 50% of developers admitted to using AI tools in daily operations, with some stating that their studios have strict ethical guidelines for utilising the technology.
Do you think the main reason behind so many layoffs in the industry is the unsustainability of the AAA ecosystem? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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