GDC survey shows that among 3000 developers surveyed, 11% will be laid off in 2024

The annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) survey has revealed problems in the gaming industry. 11% of developers reported being laid off over the past year, which is 4% more than last year.

Here's What We Know

The survey was conducted among 3000 developers, and the following departments had the highest number of layoffs:

• Narrative department: 19% of those laid off
• Production and management: 16%
• Art department: 16%
• Programming: 12%

The main reasons for layoffs are: company restructuring (22%), revenue decline (18%), and changes in market conditions (15%).

A total of 41% of developers have been directly affected by layoffs, with 29% losing direct colleagues and 18% seeing layoffs in other teams.

And Farhan Noor, who runs the videogameslayoffs.com project, estimates that around 14,600 employees in the gaming industry lost their jobs in 2024.

Source: GDC