Imran Khan,
Contributing Editor,GameDeveloper.com
November 12, 2026
schedule2 Min Read
Image by tkmiller via Adobe Stock
In this year’s State of the Industry report, an annual survey conducted by GDC Festival of Gaming, game industry professionals were asked to respond to questions concerning consistency of employment over the last two years—and some of the results are grim. One in three of those respondents, when asked if they have been laid off in the last 24 months, answered affirmatively, indicating a sharp rise since the last report. That marks 34 percent of pollees having been laid off, ballooning to 39 percent when limited just to answerers from the United States.
In the report, GDC notes that the survey results indicate a higher participation rate from people affected by layoffs, particularly in the United States.
The number of full-time employees in the United States has dropped from 59 percent last year to just 50 percent this year. At 21 percent, one-fifth report that they are currently unemployed, marking a striking 8-point increases from the previous year’s 13 percent.
Related:Newly-proposed EU law could place tight restrictions on free-to-play games
49 percent of respondents,
