PS5, Switch Game Dev Takes a Back Seat as 80% of Devs Focus on PC

The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC) State of the Game Industry report highlights a significant shift in game development focus. Let's delve into the key findings.

PC Dominance in Game Development

The report, released January 21st, 2025, revealed a striking statistic: 80% of game developers are prioritizing PC as their primary development platform. This represents a substantial 14% increase from the 66% reported in 2024. While the exact reasons remain unclear, the report suggests the growing popularity of Valve's Steam Deck may be a contributing factor. Interestingly, although the Steam Deck wasn't a selectable platform option in the survey, 44% of respondents who selected "Other" specified the Steam Deck as a target platform.

This trend builds upon previous years, with PC's dominance steadily increasing from 56% in 2020. While the rise of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipated launch of the Switch 2, have made waves, PC remains the leading platform. The continued growth in PC game development suggests a further expansion of its already extensive game library. However, the Switch 2's potential graphical and performance improvements could potentially influence this trend in the future.

Live Service Games: A Mixed Bag

The report also sheds light on the prevalence of live service games within the AAA development sector. A significant one-third (33%) of AAA developers are currently working on live service titles. Expanding this to all respondents, 16% are currently developing live service games, with another 13% expressing interest. However, a considerable 41% stated they have no interest in developing this type of game.

Those involved in live service development recognize the potential for strong financial returns and community engagement. Conversely, those uninterested cited concerns about declining player interest, creative limitations, potentially exploitative practices, and the risk of developer burnout. GDC emphasizes the issue of market saturation as a significant challenge for live service games, hindering the ability to maintain a sustainable player base. The recent closure of Ubisoft's XDefiant serves as a notable example of this difficulty.

Geographic Representation: A Noteworthy Omission

A subsequent report by PC Gamer on January 23rd, 2025, highlighted a significant underrepresentation of non-Western developers in the GDC survey. Nearly 70% of respondents were from Western countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia). Notable absences include China, a major player in the mobile gaming market, and Japan. This imbalance raises concerns about potential bias in the report's findings, suggesting the results may not fully reflect the global state of the game industry.