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. A compelling 80% of developers are prioritizing PC as their primary platform, a notable 14% increase from the previous year's 66%.

PC Dominance and Potential Shifts

The report, released January 21, 2025, underscores PC's continued dominance, potentially fueled by the rising popularity of Valve's Steam Deck. While not explicitly listed as a development platform in the survey, a significant 44% of respondents who selected "Other" specified the Steam Deck as a target platform. This trend builds upon previous years, with PC development increasing from 56% in 2020 to 66% in 2024. Although the upcoming Switch 2, with its improved graphics and performance, could potentially alter this trajectory, the PC's vast library continues to expand.

Live Service Games: A Mixed Bag

The report also delves into the prevalent landscape of live-service games. A third (33%) of AAA developers are currently engaged in live-service projects, while 16% of all respondents are actively developing such titles, and 13% express interest. Conversely, 41% show no interest, citing concerns such as diminishing player engagement, creative limitations, potentially exploitative practices, and developer burnout. GDC points to market saturation as a major challenge, exemplified by Ubisoft's recent closure of XDefiant just six months post-launch.

Geographic Representation: A Noteworthy Gap

A subsequent report by PC Gamer on January 23, 2025, highlights a significant underrepresentation of developers from non-Western countries in the GDC survey. Nearly 70% of respondents hail from Western nations (US, UK, Canada, Australia), with notable absences from major gaming regions like China and Japan. This raises concerns about potential biases in the report's findings and their applicability to the global gaming industry as a whole.