Seventeen percent of the people who took the survey said they were laid off within the last 12 months. The report noted that the total number might actually be higher. This is because some people might have been laid off more than one time during the two-year period.

Almost half of the people who answered the survey, specifically 48%, said they were still looking for a new job after losing their previous one. Of the people who were laid off one to two years ago, 36% reported that they still had not found new work in the games industry.

The report also looked at company changes. Over 450 people said their company went through an acquisition, closure, or merger in the past year. About 31% of those people also reported being laid off. It is not always clear how many layoffs were a direct result of these company changes. The report noted that big game companies and older independent studios were more likely to be acquired. Meanwhile, newer independent studios were more likely to close down completely.

Looking at specific job roles, game designers reported the highest percentage of layoffs over the last 12 months. Twenty percent of the designers who were surveyed were affected. This percentage includes people who work on narrative design, which is the writing and story part of games.

On the other end of the scale, people working in business operations and services had the lowest percentage of layoffs. Only eight percent of workers in those roles were affected by job losses.

The report asked workers why these layoffs happened. The most common reason was company restructuring, cited by 43% of respondents. Another 32% said it was because a specific project was cancelled. Budget cuts and difficult market conditions were also listed as reasons by 38% of the people surveyed.

One respondent shared a detailed thought with GDC about why this is happening. They explained that leadership failed to see that the boom during the Covid era was not going to last forever. They said the company went on a spending spree to buy other companies before finally being acquired themselves. Now, money is much tighter because the people with the money want quick returns. They want to funnel that money into the current trend, which they identified as generative AI.

Another respondent, who was laid off less than 12 months ago, had strong words for the executives. They said that leaders who have never actually worked as developers are making bad decisions. They compared it to pulling up the boards on their ships and throwing people overboard. They said these leaders expect these damaged ships to keep making them infinite money.

Despite the bad news, some respondents did mention that their employers were trying to keep their staff. They noted that companies were working to retain workers in spite of the ongoing challenges they are facing.

Layoffs and studio closures remain an ongoing issue in 2026. Earlier this month, the company Ubisoft shocked many people when they announced a major reset. They called it an “organizational, operational and portfolio reset.” This announcement meant the company delayed seven projects, closed two studios, and cancelled multiple games.

Going back to 2024, writer Chris Dring wrote a detailed feature about everything going on with layoffs in the video games industry. That article provided more context on the problems facing workers.