video games The industry has been in trouble over the past year, with studio closures and job security at the forefront of developer concerns. increasing layoffs There appears to be no end in sight, leaving a bleak picture for developers while companies are busy pumping in money. AI initiative,
According to a new report from organizers of the Game Developers Conference, 52 percent of developers surveyed said they worked at companies that were using it. Generative AI On his game. Of the 3,000 people surveyed, nearly half said they were concerned about the technology's impact on the industry and a growing number reported they felt negatively about AI overall. The “State of the Game Industry” report, released Tuesday, is one of a series of surveys conducted each year by GDC organizers ahead of their annual conference. This year's event will be held in San Francisco in March.
The 2025 GDC report comes after a tumultuous few years for the industry. Even as a sports choice astro bot, hell diver 2And Balatro Got success, studio Like Microsoft and sony has staff reduction And canceled gamesAmidst a mix of cultural and economic factors impacting the industry, developers are still dealing with company enthusiasm for technology that some find morally worrisome.
“I have a PhD in AI and have worked to develop some of the algorithms used by Generative AI,” one developer wrote. “I deeply regret how naively I contributed.”
Nearly 30 percent of developers responding to the survey said they felt negatively about AI, compared to 18 percent last year; Only 13 percent believed AI was having a positive impact on sports, down from 21 percent in 2024. “No matter how you call it, generative AI is not a good replacement for real people and the quality is going to get worse,” another developer wrote in his response.
For developers, AI has Possibility To help with a number of tasks, respondents said, including coding, concept art and 3D model creation, but when asked what uses they saw for AI in the industry, GDC organizers said, “Their answers The most frequently used word was 'none'.” wrote.
In theory, generative AI could help some developers lighten their workload. This is not happening. Instead, developers are reportedly working longer than they have in years. Thirteen percent of respondents reported putting in more than 51 hours a week, up from 8 percent of respondents last year. While those extra hours can be attributed to developers working overtime to compensate for coworkers lost during the massive industry-wide layoffs of 2024, many expressed concern that AI was also a factor. “We should be using generative AI to help people get their jobs faster, not lose them,” one employee wrote.
layoff, story of industry For the last several years, still create a big problem,'Live till 25'The mantra for struggling developers, will hardly help those who lost their jobs. According to the survey, one in 10 developers has been laid off in the last year. “N/A” responses also increased: “The question did not apply because they were already fired or otherwise unemployed. In other words, it was no longer a concern because, somehow “It had already happened to them.”