The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC) State of the Game Industry report highlights a significant shift in game development focus. A striking 80% of developers are prioritizing PC game creation, a 14% surge from the previous year's 66%. This dominance, while not entirely new (increasing from 56% in 2020), is noteworthy. The report suggests the rising popularity of Valve's Steam Deck might be a contributing factor, even though it wasn't a direct survey option; 44% of those selecting "Other" specified the Steam Deck as a target platform.
Despite the rise of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipation surrounding the Switch 2, the PC remains the dominant platform. This trend, if sustained, will undoubtedly lead to an even more expansive PC game library. However, the Switch 2's anticipated performance and graphical enhancements could potentially alter this landscape.
The report also delves into the prevalence of live-service games. A third (33%) of AAA developers are currently involved in live-service projects. Across all respondents, 16% are actively developing live-service titles, with an additional 13% expressing interest. Conversely, 41% show no interest, citing concerns like declining player engagement, creative limitations, exploitative practices, and burnout. GDC emphasizes the current market oversaturation as a major challenge for live-service games, exemplified by the recent closure of Ubisoft's XDefiant after only six months.
A subsequent PC Gamer article raises concerns about the underrepresentation of non-Western developers in the GDC report. Nearly 70% of respondents hailed from Western countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia), with notable absences from significant gaming markets like China and Japan. This geographical bias could potentially skew the report's findings and limit its global applicability.
