Nearly Half of Game Developers Are Considering Leaving the Industry

The games industry has spent the past few years navigating a sustained period of layoffs, restructuring, and shifting priorities. While the scale of job cuts has already been widely reported, new survey data suggests the long-term impact may be even more significant: talent attrition.

According to a recent Skillsearch Salary & Satisfaction 2026 survey of around 1,000 industry professionals, 44% of developers have considered leaving the games industry entirely as a result of ongoing redundancies. This figure points to a deeper issue beyond short-term job loss, signaling a potential erosion of confidence in the industry as a stable career path.

The latest findings build on a broader pattern that has defined the industry since 2023. Layoffs have not only been widespread, but persistent:

• 28% of developers report being laid off in the past two years, rising to 33% in the U.S.
• California has previously accounted for around half of all game industry layoffs in recent years
• 17% lost jobs in the last year alone, showing that cuts are ongoing rather than cyclical, according to Game Developer
• Roughly half of developers say their current or most recent company conducted layoffs in the past year, according to the GDC

Even those not directly affected are feeling the impact. Only 35% of surveyed professionals reported being unaffected by layoffs, indicating that instability is now a shared experience across teams and studios.

This aligns with the broader industry trajectory: tens of thousands of jobs have been cut since 2022, driven by post-pandemic corrections, overexpansion, and shifting investment priorities.

And it's not really slowing down, either. Just last month, Epic Games laid off over 1,000 employees due to a downturn in Fortnite engagement. It goes beyond gaming as well, with Disney making cuts and award-winning studios like Pixomondo shutting down.

If you're an affected artist, consider looking into JangaFX's Layoff Assistance Program. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter and join our 80 Level Talent platform, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.