One-Third of U.S. Video Game Industry Workers Were Laid Off in 2025, GDC Study Reveals

One-third of U.S. video game industry workers say they were laid off last year, according to a new survey conducted by the organizers behind the newly revamped Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Based on responses from more than 2,300 gaming industry professionals, with surveys “customized for each participant group, ensuring that developers, marketers, executives, investors and others answered questions most relevant to them,” the 2026 State of the Game Industry Report found that 33% of respondents in the U.S. were laid off in the past two years.

That stat reduces to 28% when looking on a global scale. Half of those surveyed reported their current or most recent employer has conducted layoffs in the past 12 months.

Per the report, “Those at AAA studios were highly likely to have experienced layoffs at their companies; two-thirds of respondents at AAA studios said their companies had layoffs. One-third of people working at indie studios reported the same.”

The team also surveyed a smaller group of game educators and students to capture a snapshot of the challenges facing the next generation.

The report, which can be downloaded for free here, provides the latest data and analysis on layoffs, generative AI adoption and sentiment, unionization efforts, development platforms and priorities, business pressures, emerging trends and more. Key insights from the report are below.

The survey also found that 82% of US-based respondents support the unionization of game industry workers, with 5% opposed and 13% unsure. According to the results, “Support was higher among workers earning under $200,000 per year (87%), those who have been laid off in the past two years (88%) and people younger than 45 (86%). No respondents aged 18-24 were opposed to unionization.”

The release of the new State of the Industry report comes ahead of the GDC Festival of Gaming, which will run March 9-13 in San Fransisco. This year, the organizers behind the Game Developers Conference (GDC) have reworked the event into the renamed festival that will focus on a larger portion of the gaming industry with additional tracks of programming.