Speculative: Games Industry Layoffs and the Future

The games industry has been cursed with a plague of layoffs, becoming more and more prominent as the months progress. Companies major and minor seem to be ridding themselves of developers with no clear intention. Some of these job losses feel sinister, such as the case with Electronic Arts wherein their layoff announcement comes with praise of their company’s success.

Given this attitude, it begs one to ask the question: Could these decisions be due, at least in part, to the recent push of AI utilization in media? If so, this paints a picture of grim implications for the future of the games industry.

         Artists and Voice Actors have already spoken out on their distaste and worry surrounding AI, many of them having their art styles and voices scraped. Since AI only replicates and repurposes media it scrapes, it’s a valid concern that games integrating AI could simply be pumped out with little thought or care while taking jobs from developers. While this is purely speculative, it has been confirmed as of March 7, 2024, that EA CEO Andrew Wilson is looking to integrate generative AI into future EA games, citing efficiency as a reason to do so.

It could also be postulated that such decisions could push developers to attempt to become independent from big publishers. This speculation seems to be sprouting some legs, as game developer Toys for Bob (Known for their handling of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash 4: It’s About Time) announced on February 29, 2024, their decision to “Go Indie”.

The company makes no true mention of what fuels this decision, but given the recent climate surrounding studios and publishers, it’s easy to make the connection. Decisions such as this don’t necessarily secure better sales or production but could help give developers a better sense of control and job security.

One can argue that if these decisions harm existing developers’ sense of job security, those seeking to enter the games industry could be just as afraid to enter the cycle. For now, we can only hope that developers are able to sustain a sense of normalcy and pave a bright future for not only themselves, but the industry as a whole.