80% of Developers Shift Focus to PC, sidelining PS5 and Switch Game Development

Dive into the latest trends shaping the game industry with the 2025 State of the Game Industry Report from GDC. Here's what you need to know about the current landscape!

The 2025 State of the Game Industry Report

80 Percent of Game Devs Are Making Games for PC

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) unveiled on January 21, 2025, that a staggering 80% of game developers are now focusing on PC game development. This annual report, which surveys developers globally, highlights the evolving trends, challenges, and opportunities within the game industry.

The report shows a significant 14% increase in PC game development from the previous year's 66%. GDC suggests that this rise could be linked to the growing popularity of Valve's Steam Deck. Although not directly listed as an option, 44% of developers who selected 'Other' indicated interest in developing for the Steam Deck.

Last year, PC was already identified as the "dominant platform," even amidst the surge of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipation for the Switch 2. The trend of focusing on PC has been steadily growing, from 56% in 2020 to 66% in 2024.

With this trend continuing, we can expect an ever-expanding library of PC games. However, the upcoming Switch 2, with its enhanced graphics and performance, may slightly alter this trajectory.

One-Third of Triple A Devs Works On Live Service Games

The report also highlights that 33% of AAA developers are currently engaged in creating live-service games. Expanding this to all respondents, 16% are actively working on such titles, and 13% express interest in future development. Conversely, 41% of developers are not interested in pursuing this model, citing concerns like declining player interest, creative stagnation, predatory practices, microtransactions, and burnout.

Those interested in live-service games recognize their potential for financial gain and community building. However, GDC points out that "market oversaturation" is a significant challenge, making it difficult for developers to maintain a sustainable player base. Ubisoft's recent decision to shut down XDefiant only six months after its launch underscores this issue.

Some Devs Underrepresented in GDC’s State of the Game Industry

On January 23, 2025, PC Gamer reported that the GDC survey might not fully represent the global game development community due to the underrepresentation of developers from non-Western countries. Nearly 70% of the respondents hail from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with significant absences from countries like China, known for its mobile gaming sector, and Japan.

This Western-centric respondent pool could skew the report's findings, potentially not reflecting the complete picture of the global game industry.