adminThe 2026 game industry survey points to ongoing challenges for workers, alongside changing technology and engine preferences. Among 2,300 respondents, 17% said they had been laid off in the past year, 36% reported using AI at work, and support for unionisation among US respondents was high. The findings offer a snapshot of employment, workplace sentiment and development practices across the industry.
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What the 2026 game industry survey found
The survey was conducted by Informa with research firm Omadia and support from Informa’s editorial team at Game Developer. It received responses from 2,300 industry professionals, 23% fewer than the previous year. Beth Elderkin attributed the decline to the survey launching later in the year following the event’s rebrand.
Of respondents, 62% worked at game companies or studios. Among that group, 45% were at independent studios, 31% at AAA studios, 18% at AA studios and 6% at co-development studios. These proportions provide useful context when comparing the results, since working conditions can differ by company size and type.
Layoffs remain a major concern
Overall, 28% of respondents said they had experienced a layoff during the previous two years. The figure was 33% among developers in the United States. In the past 12 months, 17% had been laid off, up from 11% in the previous survey and 7% in the 2024 survey. Elderkin noted that the actual share may be higher because some people could have experienced more than one layoff.
Game designers, including narrative designers, were among the hardest hit: 20% reported losing their jobs. Business operations and services had the lowest reported rate, at 8%. Nearly half (48%) of respondents who had been laid off had not found another job. Layoffs were reported by two-thirds of people at AAA studios, compared with one-third at independent studios. Among surveyed students, 74% were worried about their future career prospects in games because of layoffs.
Practical takeaway: Job seekers and students may find it useful to follow hiring trends across different studio types, rather than assuming conditions are the same throughout the industry.
US workers show strong interest in unionisation
The unionisation question was limited to US respondents because labour laws differ between countries. Among those surveyed, 82% supported unionisation for game workers, 5% opposed it and 13% were unsure. Since the question was changed for 2026, the results cannot be directly compared with the prior year.
Support was particularly high among respondents earning under $200,000 a year (87%), people laid off in the previous two years (88%) and those younger than 45 (86%). No respondents aged 18 to 24 opposed unionisation. Asked about membership for the first time, 2% said they belonged to a company-specific union and 10% to an industry-wide union. A further 62% were not members but were interested in joining.
AI use grows as concerns increase
More than one-third of respondents (36%) used AI tools in their work, although adoption varied by workplace and role. Use was reported by 30% of people at game studios, compared with 58% at publishing companies, support teams and marketing or public relations firms. Business professionals also reported 58% usage. The share was 47% among upper management, 36% among studio directors and 29% among more junior employees.
ChatGPT was the most commonly used tool, while brainstorming was the most frequently reported application. At the same time, 52% said generative AI was having a negative effect on the industry, up from 30% in 2025 and 18% in 2024. Opposition was strongest among visual and technical arts workers (64%), game design and narrative workers (63%) and programmers (59%).
Only 7% viewed generative AI as having a positive impact, down from 13% in 2025. Support was highest among executives and people in business operations and services, at 19% in each group. Some respondents saw value in non-creative tasks such as code assistance and prototyping, while 30% opposed AI use in any capacity, citing data sourcing, energy use and potential job displacement.
Practical takeaway: Teams considering AI tools should assess the specific task, data sources and potential workforce effects, rather than treating all uses as equivalent.
Unreal Engine leads reported engine use
Unreal Engine was listed as the primary game development engine by 42% of respondents, ahead of Unity at 30%. Elderkin said the result may partly reflect a methodology change: the question was shown only to people who identified as working in development roles.
Unreal Engine was reported by 59% of developers at AA studios, 47% at AAA studios and 41% at newer independent studios. Unity remained common at older independent studios, where 54% reported using it. Its use was also higher among developers making free-to-play games (38%) than among those making premium games (28%). Godot was used by 11% of developers at newer independent studios and was less common at more established studios.
When comparing engines, developers should consider the type of game, studio experience and production needs; the survey figures describe reported usage rather than a recommendation for every project.
Conclusion
The 2026 game industry survey highlights persistent job insecurity, substantial US support for unionisation and a widening gap between AI adoption and sentiment toward generative AI. It also shows Unreal Engine ahead of Unity among respondents, while usage varies by studio profile. Together, these findings provide a useful overview of the industry’s current pressures and practices.
