PC Development Very Important to Future Growth of Industry; Negative Perception of Job Opportunities for Devs: 2014 IGDA Survey

2015 Developer Satisfaction Survey Launches

MOUNT ROYAL, NJ ‐ 3 March 2015 – There is significant concern around future job opportunities in games; while few developers indicate their companies are focused on PC platform support, many view the PC as important for the industry’s future, according to a survey of more than 2,200 developers in the industry by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

Here are some of the key findings:

Most/Least Important Platforms in the Next 5 Years

• 75% of respondents felt that Steam development is “very important” for the future of the industry.
• However, Steam showed the greatest disparity between where respondents believe the future of the industry is, compared to what studios are currently developing for or supporting.
• 25% of respondents view proprietary platforms (e.g., Oculus Rift) as a key growth area, whereas only 6% reported these were currently under consideration.

Importance for Industry Growth

• 74% of developers rank the “advancement of game design” as being a “very important” issue for the industry’s future growth, “more diversity in game content” was at second place with 65% and “advancement of storytelling” was third with 60%.
• The need for “better monetization of games” ranked last with only 29%.

Overall Outlook and Job Opportunities

• 53% of respondents reported a positive 1-year outlook for the game industry. 17.3% considered it “very positive” while 35.6% indicated “somewhat positive.” Only 4% indicated a “very negative” outlook.
• Consider that many reported being satisfied with their own job, 41% of respondents answered either “very negative” or “somewhat negative” when asked about job opportunities in the industry. 35% answered either “very positive” or “somewhat positive” and 24% remained neutral.

The Summary Report of its Developer Satisfaction Survey was released in June 2014, now followed by this Industry Trends report and a forthcoming Employment Practices report to be released shortly after GDC in mid-March.

The IGDA launched the 2015 edition of its Developer Satisfaction Survey on 2 March 2015 in conjunction with the start of GDC. Industry members have until 15 April 2015 to participate. The 2015 DSS is available to take here: http://www.igda.org/DSS2015

About the IGDA

In its 21st year, the International Game Developers Association is the largest non‐profit membership organization serving individuals who create games. The association exists to advance the careers and enhance the lives of game developers by connecting members with their peers, promoting professional development, and advocating on issues that affect the developer community. For more information, visit http://www.igda.org.