Horizon worlds
More than 2,300 developers participated in the The state of the gaming industry in 2023 investigation. It was conducted by the GDC in collaboration with Game Developer. The majority of respondents were game designers, programmers, production managers and artists working at independent companies (39%) or AAA (23%).
Key data from the survey
- The PC remains the primary platform, with 65% of developers making their games for it. Followed by PlayStation 5 (33%), Xbox Series X | S (30%), Android (27%) and iOS (26%).
- The cloud seems to be gradually gaining popularity. 7% of respondents plan to complete upcoming Xbox Cloud Gaming projects. 4% want to develop a game for PS Plus (Extra or Premium).
- Most developers prefer premium budget templates (50%) or free download (36%). Paid DLCs and in-app purchases are also in the top 5.
- Blockchain-based monetization and premium memberships are the least popular models, with only 4% using them in their games.
- 14% of respondents named Fortnite as the likely winner in the metaverse contest, followed by Meta Horizon worlds (7%), Minecraft (7%), Roblox (5%) and Google/Apple (3%).
- Despite all the hype around the term, 45% of developers, up from 33% in 2022, think that “the metaverse concept will never deliver on its promises. »
- “The ‘promise of the metaverse’, as it stands, is nothing. People trying to sell it have no idea what it is, and neither do consumers,” said one respondent, citing the lack of a clear definition and high barrier to entry as major issues, adding that most companies of the metaverse is now “reinventing the wheel.” »
- 75% of developers are not interested in blockchain technology, with 61% saying they are against it. Some of them have noted that blockchain gambling in its current form is unsustainable and predatory.
- 62% of respondents work 40 hours per week or less, and only 4% of developers chose the “60+ hours” answer.
- Personal pressure remains the main factor behind overtime. 14% of developers said they were pressured by management and 11% felt peer pressure.
- 17% of respondents believe that large M&A deals will have a positive impact on the gaming industry. But 44% are negative about the consolidation trend and around a third say they are insecure.
- Some think consolidation is bad for innovation and product diversity, while others think “we shouldn’t be afraid of it. »
Further data can be found in full report.