Over 1 / 4 of game builders in Europe skilled layoffs in 2024/25, with 10.4% of these still searching for new roles.
That is in accordance with the newest Large Video games Trade Employment Survey, carried out by on-line profession platform InGame Job and recruitment knowledgeable Values Worth. (More on the methodology at the finish of the report).
The most recent version of the report discovered that game designers, artists, and QA specialists were most affected by layoffs.
These in inventive professions additionally felt the least safe in their roles, whereas these in analytics, HR/recruitment, and prime administration reported the “highest sense of job safety.”
The survey additionally discovered those that modified jobs voluntarily dropped from 23.2% to 17.5%, whereas involuntary employment rose with 10.4% reporting they were laid off and at present unemployed (in comparison with 6.2% in 2024).
15% of respondents are still searching for jobs, with 18% of programmers reporting that they’ve wanted a 12 months or more to discover a new position.
Total, 13% of game builders left the trade in 2025. These working in advertising and marketing had the highest exit price throughout all roles (24%), whereas 39% of these at a junior stage left between 2024 and 2025.
Taking a look at the most vital components for professionals when wanting for a brand new employer, wage stage was the highest at 87% adopted by work format (distant/hybrid/workplace) and work-life stability were at 59% every.
“Job searches are taking longer, and in some roles – akin to programming – we’re seeing a development of individuals accepting much less favorable situations when altering jobs, like decrease salaries or downgraded positions,” Values Worth founder and InGame Job co-founder Tanja Loktionova completely tells GamesIndustry.biz.
“Wage has develop into the primary issue when selecting a brand new employer, changing what was once prime motivators like thrilling initiatives, development alternatives, or a fantastic group.”
Wage
Taking a look at median salaries, the Large Video games Trade Employment Survey highlighted continued discrepancies between European Union and non-EU nations throughout all roles and seniority.
As Loktionova notes in the report: “Salaries for programmers — particularly Unity builders — have dropped by nearly half, primarily as a result of there are barely any open positions. There have been loads of layoffs and only a few new alternatives.”
For instance, when the general median wage for 2025 in EU international locations – it is a blended image (all salaries are gross, annual, and in Euros).
Taking a look at general wage satisfaction, the report discovered there was a decline throughout most seniority ranges in comparison with 2024.
This drop was most prevalent amongst entry-level and mid-level specialists, “many of whom confronted wage freezes, lowered bonuses, or slower profession development in the past 12 months.”
Gender pay hole
The gender pay hole throughout roles in video games stays to be a difficulty, with ladies significantly underrepresented in management and high-paying technical roles.
The research additionally discovered that ladies proceed to expertise structural imbalances which contribute to decrease common salaries.
“Curiously, our knowledge additionally exhibits that ladies are likely to ask for much less: their anticipated salaries are, on common, decrease than these said by male respondents in comparable roles,” says Loktionova.
“It’s a fancy problem that displays not solely structural inequality, but additionally variations in self-perception and negotiation confidence.”
Range and inclusion
The report additionally highlighted a unfavourable development in variety and inclusion initiatives.
In 2023, over half of respondents reported that that they had no devoted D&I specialist at their firm.
This stat has since elevated by 67%, with the research suggesting “structured efforts in this space are still not a precedence for many employers in the video games trade” regardless of it taking part in a “essential position in shaping a supportive and inclusive workspace.”
AI adoption
Elsewhere, the share of game builders that use AI “and discover it useful” has doubled over the past two years. It reached 63% in the EU and 69% in non-EU areas.
The quantity of individuals who have by no means used AI – and do not plan to – has dropped by more than a 3rd since 2023. Scepticism in the direction of AI continues to say no, with “the know-how more and more seen as a sensible device quite than a menace.”
Total outlook
“This 12 months’s outcomes clearly present a rising sense of instability throughout the video games trade workforce,” says Loktionova. “1 / 4 of respondents skilled layoffs or group reductions over the past 12 months, and 13% have already left the trade fully. Amongst junior-level professionals, 39% have exited the discipline – an enormous quantity, increased than in earlier years in accordance with our knowledge.”
Loktionova provides: “This 12 months, we obtained a document quantity of [anonymous] feedback from respondents, and I don’t suppose we have ever seen a lot ache, not even throughout the first waves of mass layoffs.
“The trade’s amassed fatigue is turning into tangible: loyalty and engagement are dropping, and the sense of job insecurity is rising. Many level to poor communication and an absence of transparency from management as key causes. Persons are afraid to vary jobs, even after they’ve lengthy stopped feeling completely satisfied in their present roles.”
Methodology
The Large Video games Trade Employment Survey was carried out between March and June 2025, with a complete of 1,650 respondents from 85 international locations.
The research divides Europe into two areas – European Union and non-EU international locations. Over half the respondents were male (56%) whereas ladies represented 25% of these surveyed, and 19% selected ‘Different’.
As for the ranges of seniority, 8% were junior, 24% were center, and 29% were lead. 21% of respondents had over ten years of expertise in the video games trade.