“I Can’t Fully Trust Anywhere Now”: GDC Reports 1-in-4 Devs Have Been Laid Off in Last 2 Years

The GDC State of the Game Industry Report 2026 has officially been published by the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which surveyed over 2,300 developers in an attempt to put a finger on the pulse of the game industry, asking developers about a range of topics, including Generative AI, the epidemic of mass industry layoffs, which kinds of video games are dominating the industry, and more.

When reading the report, it's always worth remembering that there are hundreds of thousands of developers not surveyed here, and that with GDC updating its survey process every year, it doesn't present a complete picture of where the industry is at. That said, just like how SteamDB numbers don't show the full picture of an individual game's success, that doesn't mean the information is useless.

Information like how, among developers surveyed by GDC, 1-in-4 have been laid off in the last two years, and out of those laid off developers, nearly half of them are still struggling to find a job.

"According to our survey, 17% of game industry professionals reported being laid off in the past 12 months, while 11% said they were laid off during the 12 months prior (lining up with our 2025 survey data). Altogether, that means over one-fourth (28%) of respondents have experienced a layoff in the past two years, increasing to one-third (33%) for those in the United States," the report reads.

"Of those who’ve experienced a layoff, almost half (48%) said they haven’t found another job yet. This includes 36% of game industry professionals who were laid off 1 to 2 years ago."

Industry churn and layoffs are an unfortunate reality for any industry; game developers certainly aren't alone in experiencing turbulent times in their industry of choice. But layoffs are short-term, band-aid solutions that only make a positive impact on a company's bottom line, while making a negative impact everywhere else.

"I’ve been laid off so many times in the last 5-6 years, had so many turbulent issues working in games. I have trauma and can’t ever fully trust anywhere now," said one of the developers surveyed. 23% of those surveyed anticipate layoffs in the coming year, and another 30% remain unsure. That's a majority of developers who can't say with certainty that they'll have job stability, even if they know they are good at what they do.

"The market has been so challenging I’m not sure I’ll remain in games," said another respondent. Meanwhile, the next class of developers currently in school looking to join the industry don't see much hope for their own prospects. 3-in-4 game development students surveyed are concerned they won't be able to find a job, while 87% of their teachers surveyed believe their students will struggle to find work.

When companies like Ubisoft, Meta, Square Enix, Microsoft, and Amazon, to name just a few, lay off their employees by the tens, hundreds, and thousands at a time, not only are those companies and their teams losing talented developers, but each layoff is one more traumatizing event that might make someone decide they won't come back to games. Young developers coming into the industry lose proper mentorship because there aren't any veterans around to mentor them, and the developers who survive each layoff are left with more work to be done in less time, leading to more crunch and developer burnout. None of those things contributes to an industry that can produce better and more entertaining games for players.

As one particularly blunt student put it, "There aren't any jobs. Everyone's getting fired. It's f***ed."

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