With the absolute bloodbath of layoffs in 2024 and some worrying trends to start off the year, it’s easy to presume that the gaming industry is headed for another moment of cratering into the ground. However, those who work in the industry are reportedly sharing some more bright outlooks according to the results of a recent survey.
This survey, conducted by independent market research firm Atomik Research as part of Metaplay’s Game Development Renaissance report, polled 150 senior Unity developers across the US and UK, showed that 77% of respondents anticipate more availability for funding new studios due to an increase in crowdfunding, angel investors, and community-backed investments, while 90% of studios are planning to release one new title.
Other insights from the survey include 63% of devs believing development costs will lower with the help of AI tools, 71% expecting cross-platform play demand to increase, and 76% believing that live service titles will boost revenue.
The polling is worth comparison to yesterday’s annual GDC survey, which showed growing distrust for gen AI and resentment over widespread layoffs. As we noted, the GDC surveys tend to see more small-dev and indie-dev representation than “150 senior Unity developers,” so it’s a pretty different picture.
But some of the pro-AI sentiment aligns with analysis from Matthew Ball, CEO of venture capital firm Epyllion, who issued his own take on how the industry got where it is and where it’s going. Partially he believes that mobile gaming will continue to rise for AA and AAA studios, champions the rise of social game services and “non-core markets” like the Middle East, and also claims AI tools will lower costs.
