One in three developers say they've been laid off within the last two years

A survey by the GDC Festival of Gaming reveals that 34 percent of game industry professionals have experienced layoffs within the last two years, with the figure rising to 39 percent among U.S. respondents. The report highlights a significant increase in layoffs compared to previous years, particularly in the United States, where participation from affected workers was notably higher. The survey indicates a sharp decline in full-time employment in the U.S., dropping from 59 percent last year to 50 percent this year.

The State of the Industry report also shows that 21 percent of respondents are currently unemployed, an 8-point increase from the previous year's 13 percent. Nearly half of the respondents, 49 percent, reported that their companies implemented layoffs over the past year, with the percentage rising to 55 percent in the U.S. The trend is most pronounced in AAA studios, where 68 percent of workers reported layoffs, compared to 14 percent in younger indie studios and 35 percent in older indie studios.

Among the reasons cited for layoffs, company restructuring, financial difficulties, and canceled projects were the most common. Workers were twice as likely to have been laid off in the past year (68 percent) compared to the year before (32 percent). Of those laid off once, 79 percent reported a single instance, while 17 percent experienced two layoffs and 3 percent faced three or more.

The survey also examined the impact of layoffs on career transitions, with only two-thirds of laid-off workers finding new jobs in a similar field. Among these, 28 percent secured comparable roles, 23 percent reported better positions, and 17 percent took worse jobs. Additionally, 9 percent left the industry entirely. The most affected roles included quality assurance, marketing/PR, and visual and technical arts, while business operations and services were less likely to face layoffs.