GDC study: how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the gaming industry
The organizers of the Game Developers Conference conducted a study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gaming industry. To do this, the company interviewed 2,500 developers. The results are published on the company’s website.
About 20% of respondents develop games on their own, 18% work in large studios (more than 500 people), 15% – in teams of 2 to 5 people. The remaining 47% work in teams of varying sizes (from 6 to 500 people). 8% of those surveyed said they had lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
According to the results, 21% of those who retained their jobs did not work on projects during the pandemic, 33% were faced with a postponement, and 46% of respondents were not affected by the outbreak.
The business deterioration due to COVID-19 was reported by 32% of developers. At the same time, 31% of respondents reported business improvement. Another 37% said that it remained at the same level. As for personal incomes, 26% of respondents reported a reduction in their income, and only 12% reported an increase. For 62%, the situation has not changed in any way.
According to the survey, 97% of respondents now work remotely, of which 27% already worked from home before the pandemic. The remaining 3% never worked remotely.
In May, the organizers of the GDC 2020 transferred their exhibition to digital format due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The event is scheduled for August 4-6. The list of attendees is not yet known, but the organization promised viewers “high-quality content and networking opportunities. “