The 2026 Game Developers Conference wrapped in San Francisco this week against a backdrop of unprecedented industry strain. The 14th annual State of the Game Industry Survey — compiled from over 2,300 professionals — delivered the hardest numbers in the report's history.

Layoffs hit one in three US developers

33% of US-based respondents reported being laid off in the past two years (28% globally). Among AAA studios, 66% confirmed their companies made cuts, with 27% of those workers losing their jobs. Of everyone laid off, 48% have not found new work, and among those displaced one to two years ago, 36% are still outside the industry.

AI: used by 36%, resented by 52%

More than half of industry professionals — 52% — now consider generative AI to be harming the industry. That figure was 30% last year and 18% the year before. Visual artists and programmers are the most critical (64% and 59% negative, respectively). Only executives hold broadly favorable views.

Despite the hostility, 36% admit to using AI tools in their workflows, often citing job security pressure as a driver.

Unionization support hits 82%

82% of US-based respondents support industry unionization, up sharply from prior years. Support reaches 88% among those who were laid off. The United Videogame Workers-CWA, launched at GDC 2025, already counts 10% of respondents as members.

International attendance collapses

31% of non-US developers cancelled their GDC trip, rising to 47% among LGBTQ+ community members. Developers cited immigration policy, border device searches, and a broadly hostile political climate. The conference — once a genuinely global gathering — now feels domestic by default.

Meanwhile, 74% of students expressed concern about entering the industry at all.