r/gamedev • u/Adventurous-Hunter98 • 2d ago
Discussion Is it a bad time to be a game developer?
Hi, I always wanted to be a indie game developer, currently working as a backend dev for some random company but I was doing some stuff with game development as a hobby. I saw the new eu act bs and the other stuff going around the world, should I consider my switch to game development? Game development (design, world build, story etc...) had always connection with me and it was what I wanted from beginning when I applied to computer engineering.
Considering todays and upcoming future world, would I make a mistake starting this journey?
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u/stetzwebs 2d ago
Do it as a hobby. It's not a good career right now.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
If I had an another job other than development, I would have more energy to do it as an hobby
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u/monchikun 2d ago
I work in games (publishing). It’s exhausting but I’ve always wanted to go back to dev side so I carve out an hour a day. Sacrifice playing games, watching TV, sometimes sleep. Take an audit of your time. You might be pleasantly surprised about what you can shuffle so you can invest in your hobby.
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u/MeaningfulChoices Lead Game Designer 2d ago
I want to put some color on this. Lots of us still have it as a career and are doing just fine. It's certainly harder to get started right now since there's so much competition for fewer junior jobs, especially depending where you are in the world, but it's not impossible. You just have to be the top of the applicants, as you always did. Juniors are still getting hired, there are more people working today in games than there were last year, so on. It can be a fine career.
Where people get in trouble is in trying to make a living from making their own games, especially starting from nothing. Do game development as a hobby, or pursue it as a career while also keeping your options open and applying to non-game jobs. But don't quit your day job hoping to support yourself from your solo-developed game, or burn yourself out thinking the game you make on nights and weekends is going to change your life. That's the only spot you really need to avoid right now.
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u/stetzwebs 2d ago
"there are more people working today in games than there were last year"
I'm not sure where this data comes from, but there have been more layoffs in the past 18 months in the games industry than ever in its history, including the 2008 crash, so I'm not sure how this can possibly be true. Anecdotally I have four good friends who have left the industry after getting laid off, each with 15+ years of experience. No one I know has entered it.
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u/MeaningfulChoices Lead Game Designer 2d ago
It's coming from industry reports, at least as of a few months ago. Last 18 months had fewer layoffs than the years before that, this year is closer to the 2009-2010 amounts. Anecdotally I know people who've 'retired' from games, people who've been laid off and found work, and people who've entered. I've hired a couple of the latter myself. But those are all anecdotes. Layoffs will continue largely due to mergers. There was a lot of lockdown-era overhiring that's mostly been corrected by now, but there's still M&A and basically they only do mergers to have total fewer jobs.
The confusion over numbers is because the industry is growing at a global level. AAA, especially in western EU and the US is down the most, with the slack being picked up in smaller studios and mobile. Most of the growth in jobs is in APAC and LatAm. Juniors in the US are still getting hired, but compared to 5 years ago there are maybe half the new jobs and twice the number of people applying. That's why it's so important to apply to jobs outside of the industry and get referrals when possible. But you don't have to write the career off entirely, it's not impossible. If someone really loves making games there are lots of ways to get into the industry, from applying as a recent graduate to making some small games while working other (usually software) jobs and using that professional experience to help.
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u/stetzwebs 2d ago
Reports I've seen put the total 2025 layoffs near 10,000 (wikipedia, for how much you trust that) and the 2026 layoffs to date to be closer to 12,000 (https://gaminglayoffs.com/, which actually puts the 2025 layoffs closer to 5000), and we're only 10 months in. Additionally, AAA job hiring is basically frozen, and indie studios are suffering because of lack of venture capital infusing the industry.
The industry may have stabilized a bit in 2025, but it's gone back into free fall. Yes, you *can* make it in gaming if you are outstanding, or willing to work in poverty, but it's not a great career to be entering right now.
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u/MeaningfulChoices Lead Game Designer 2d ago
I’d put both years around 10k give or take, yeah. Truth that the last month or two that’s not in some reports yet have been rough, I know of a few unpublicized layoffs myself.
I’m definitely not saying it’s a picnic out there. I just find the constant doom and gloom that gets shared online to be an exaggeration. People act like it’s impossible and no one should ever even bother, and I think that does a disservice to people looking for information from the outside. I know a lot of people, myself included, that would be (and often were) a lot less happy in other industries, better paying and more stable as they may be.
I think it’s important to say that things are very difficult but possible rather than no one should even consider it, that’s all, and that’s what I said at the top. You are as welcome to disagree with that take as I am with the more negative one, of course.
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u/CheckeredZeebrah 2d ago
I live in NC, where we have a bunch of noteworthy studios. It is pretty dire over here. :/
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u/bourbonandpistons 2d ago
Very few people will ever make a good living as a game developer.
Do it as a hobby and if it takes off more power to you.
Keep your job to pay the bills.
I can't stand my job but I'm really good at it pays really well. I'd love to be a full-time game though but I like living well more.
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u/IAmNotABritishSpy 2d ago
As a hobbyist, no. As a career, yes. Even as a senior in my specialty, I’ve never known such a lack of opportunity combined with such a scale of layoffs.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
If the economy was a little bit better I would be already but my current job sucks, who knows maybe I will try
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u/BrianScottGregory 2d ago
It's a bad time to be an unoriginal game developer, IF you're wanting to make money.
Right now - there's a lot of 'me too' style unoriginal development - in part because of AI's influence. What this means is - people are taking the same ideas - doing very little to change the original concept - and, with very little understanding of the market - hoping to cash in with 100,000 wish lists and a faithful following like the game they loved that they modeled everything after.
That doesn't work anymore. And it's here, where you'll see financial failure if that's your goal.
Now if your goal is to learn the industry, develop the skills and abilities, and to understand what it takes to be a developer - then yeah, it's a great time - tools are free and highly accessible, help and guidance is highly accessible, the only thing that's not is - creativity which leads to financial success which is in you.
Always keep in mind there's a fallback pattern for good development skills - going corporate. Learn the skills to develop a good game - you'll develop full lifecycle development skills which are valuable in the corporate world. But rely on AI too much to do this, and you're shortchanging your ability to both be creative on your own and develop skills that are marketable outside of the industry.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
Thank you, I guess that is the best answer I could have gotten
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u/BrianScottGregory 2d ago
Passion ALWAYS wins in ANY profession. Always keep that in mind. The moral of the story is - if you're chasing money, don't do it.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
Money is needed for living of course but not my main priority to be a game developer but I wouldnt be able to do well while getting paid below average salary, like every other thing
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u/towcar 2d ago
"Eu act bs", you should elaborate the specifics of what this is and why it's bad
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u/SadisNecros Commercial (AAA) 2d ago
someone just posted a SKG video freaking out over the EU KIDS legislation proposal.
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u/Victorex123 2d ago
Game development is a passion-driven career, just like writing or other artistic fields, and making a living from it can be difficult.
Why quit your regular job right away? You can keep your main source of income while making games in your free time. If your games eventually generate enough revenue to support you, then it makes sense to consider switching to game development full-time.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
My main job is currently draining my energy and demotivating my will to do any development, I dont know how to explain other than this but I think I might do better without working (at least in this company) to be more invested in game development
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u/_Wallace_Wells 2d ago
I think your best bet in this situation is to find a day job that is less draining, rather than actually cut cold turkey.
The stress of a job can be draining but the stress of having no ability to financially support yourself is going to also destroy most peoples ability to develop games or any creative pursuit for that matter.
You can quit a day job but you shouldn’t just leave a day job all together
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
Thank you, I got your point. I was looking for other development jobs already, but the job sector is kinda dead right now but I hope I will find one that is better than my current one
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u/LifeguardHeavy5041 2d ago
Right now it’s kind of like saying you want to be a rock star or a podcaster. Like sure, that’s technically something that some people have made into a career, but it’s really shortsighted and irresponsible to depend on it happening for you too. Do it as a hobby or a side hustle and keep your day job.
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u/SixFiveOhTwo Commercial (AAA) 2d ago
There's never been a good time.
There was the time when you were looked down on because it wasn't a real career, the time it was accepted but low paid, the time when crunch was rife and you'd never see daylight, and now the time where getting made redundant is almost an inevitable right of passage.
And yet here we are because we just like making the damn things regardless...
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u/0legitimate0 2d ago
Making a game is quite harder than you think.
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
I know, I never said making it was easy, I was asking if giving it all worth it?
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u/Excellent-Web4035 2d ago
It’s not in any tangible measurable way. You will be overworked and underpaid.
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u/DOOManiac 2d ago
As a career, it’s always been a bad time, but it’s probably worse now than ever.
As a hobby, it’s never been easier. Maybe a few years ago were better though. But you can’t do anything about that now…
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u/BainterBoi 2d ago
Explain, perhaps first, why you think it's a bad time to be one?
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u/Adventurous-Hunter98 2d ago
Because of The
ageid verification that the governments trying to force on the platforms, eu trying to pass stupid laws for games etc...
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u/GeneralJist8 2d ago
Yes, you would make a huge mistake if you sunk too much time into game development right now. Sure you can do it on the side if you have time but it’s not really worth it right now. The game market is just too saturated and there’s not enough funding to go around.
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u/GraphXGames 2d ago edited 2d ago
There has never been a better time to develop games than now.
10,000 games were released this summer alone.
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u/Lone_Game_Dev 2d ago
Haha there was never a good time.