Recent Report Reveals 26% of European Game Devs Were Hit by Layoffs in the Past Year or So

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Layoffs have been a recurring problem that’s been plaguing the gaming industry for a few years now.

It’s discouraging to see game companies letting employees go, even when they’re doing well. For instance, Funcom recently had layoffs despite the successful launch of their biggest game yet, Dune: Awakening.

Starbreeze Entertainment, the company behind the Payday series, has reduced its workforce to lower expenses and concentrate its efforts on developing Payday 3.

These are just a few of the companies that have laid off their employees through the years.

A new report from InGame Job shows that 26% of game developers in Europe have lost their jobs this year, 2025. The roles most impacted by layoffs were artists, game designers, and quality assurance testers.

Researchers surveyed 1,650 people from 85 countries between March and June 2025, but their analysis focused solely on data from Europe.

The study found that just over 10% of people who lost their jobs are still out of work. This is a significant rise from last year, representing a 6.2% increase in unemployment among those previously laid off.

Meanwhile, 16.3% were able to land on a new job.

The youngest workers experienced the biggest job losses. Just 43% of them kept their jobs, while 14% lost their jobs and are now unemployed.

However, employees in leadership positions are the most secure, with 75% still employed and only 3% currently unemployed after being laid off.

Other Relevant Data and Statistics Revealed in the Report

The report covered more than just layoffs. It also looked at things like salaries and whether there was a difference in pay between men and women.

The report shows a significant difference in how satisfied employees are with their pay, depending on their experience level.

Professionals who are early or mid-career have been most affected, experiencing things like smaller bonuses, stalled promotions, and even no salary increases.

Experienced professionals are generally still quite happy, and their satisfaction levels haven’t changed much from last year.

According to Tanja Loktionova, co-founder of InGame Job, programmer salaries have fallen by roughly 50% due to a significant decrease in available jobs. This is largely the result of widespread layoffs and a lack of new positions being created.

She also noted that the increasing use of artificial intelligence significantly impacted the average salary for all positions and experience levels.

One person we spoke with said they’re struggling to find work in the gaming industry. They explained that it’s becoming increasingly difficult due to advancements in AI and recent layoffs. They also noted there are very few entry-level positions available – almost none, in fact.

The section regarding AI adoption seem interesting, at the very least.

The report showed that fewer gaming professionals are skeptical about AI, with most now seeing it as a helpful tool.

A recent survey showed that most people – 63% – find AI helpful and are already using it in their jobs. This is a significant jump from last year, when only 51% felt the same way.

Meanwhile, only 15% claimed they don’t use AI and have no plans to use it.

The report ends by revealing the ten most desirable global game companies to work for, according to the people surveyed.

Leading the way is CD Projekt Red, with Larian Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, Valve, Riot Games, Ubisoft, Supercell, Rockstar Games, Epic Games, and Remedy Entertainment rounding out the top ten, in that order.

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2025-10-21 21:37