Will More Game Developers Be Fired After Games Are Released?

The gaming industry continues to grow, but behind the blockbuster releases and record-breaking sales is a troubling reality for many of the people who create these games.

Will more game developers lose their jobs after their games are released?

Over the past several years, layoffs have become an increasingly familiar part of the gaming industry. Developers have watched studios restructure, projects get cancelled, teams get reduced, and entire development studios close—even after spending years creating highly anticipated games.

For gamers, the question is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

What Happens After a Game Ships?

A major video game can take several years to develop. Hundreds of developers can work together to bring a project from concept to release.

But once that game launches, the development team may suddenly find itself in a very different position.

Some developers move directly into downloadable content, expansions, updates, or a sequel. Others may begin working on an entirely new project.

But not every developer has a next project waiting.

When publishers begin looking for ways to reduce expenses, the teams that just completed a major game can become vulnerable to restructuring.

And that's where the industry faces a serious problem.

A Successful Game Doesn't Always Mean Job Security

One might assume that a successful game would protect the developers who created it.

Unfortunately, that isn't necessarily the case.

A game can receive strong reviews, sell millions of copies, or generate substantial revenue while the company behind it still decides to reduce its workforce.

Corporate restructuring can be influenced by budgets, future projects, acquisitions, market conditions, shareholder expectations, and changing business strategies.

The individual developer who spent years working on the game may have little control over any of those decisions.

Is This Sustainable?

This raises an important question about the future of AAA game development.

If developers know that completing a major project could potentially be followed by layoffs, how does that affect morale, creativity, and the industry's ability to retain experienced talent?

Game development already requires enormous amounts of time, money, and dedication.

If experienced developers continually leave the industry because of job instability, publishers could eventually find themselves losing some of their most valuable talent.

At the same time, publishers argue that the economics of modern game development have changed. Development costs continue to rise, projects are becoming more ambitious, and not every game can support a large permanent team indefinitely.

There may be legitimate business reasons for restructuring.

But that doesn't make the human consequences any less significant.

Who Pays the Price?

Ultimately, it's the developers and their families who feel the impact first.

The programmers.

The artists.

The designers.

The writers.

The animators.

The testers.

The producers.

The countless other people who work behind the scenes to create the games gamers spend hundreds of hours enjoying.

These aren't simply names in a game's credits.

They are the people responsible for creating the experiences that keep the gaming industry alive.

Is This the Future of Game Development?

Perhaps layoffs after major releases will remain part of the industry's business model.

Or perhaps publishers will eventually recognize that maintaining experienced teams is more valuable than repeatedly rebuilding them.

The gaming industry has changed dramatically, and the next major change may not be technological.

It may be the way game developers are employed.

If developers can spend three, four, or even five years creating a game only to potentially lose their jobs after it ships, how sustainable is the current AAA development model?

And perhaps the biggest question of all:

Who will make tomorrow's games if today's developers can't find stability in the industry?

What Do You Think?

• Should developers have greater job security after completing a major game?

• Are post-release layoffs becoming too common?

• Can publishers justify reducing teams after a game ships?

• Is the rising cost of AAA development responsible for the industry's instability?

• Would you be willing to pay more for games if it helped studios retain their developers?

Is the gaming industry protecting the people who create our games—or are developers becoming another casualty of the industry's pursuit of bigger and more expensive games?