GDC conducted its eighth annual State of the Industry Survey in the lead up to GDC 2020. Around 4,000 developers participated, sharing their thoughts on next-gen hardware and current trends. Notably, the survey results indicate that more developers are interested in making games for the PlayStation 5 compared to other consoles, namely the next Xbox platform and Nintendo Switch.
Of the nearly 4,000 respondents, 50 percent are most interested in developing experiences for PC. There’s an intriguing split where consoles are concerned, however. 38 percent expressed an interest in making games for the PlayStation 5, while 37 percent pointed to the Nintendo Switch. 25 percent find Xbox Series X most appealing, though GDC notes the survey was taken prior to Microsoft’s unveiling of the name last December.
At present, these numbers do not correlate with the number of game makers actually producing titles on next-gen hardware. Only 11 percent of developers surveyed are currently working on a PS5 project. Meanwhile, 9 percent are developing for Xbox Series X. In terms of developer expectations, 23 percent said they expect their games to ship on PS5; 17 percent expect their projects to make it to the new Xbox.
The latest State of the Industry Survey also inquired about another hot topic–unionization for developers. 54 percent of game makers agreed developers should unionize. 21 percent of respondents voted maybe on the topic. On the other end of the spectrum, 16 percent disagree with unionization, while the remaining 9 percent are uncertain. Interestingly, work is already being done to assist game developers in forming unions. Two workers’ rights organizations rest at the forefront of a campaign that aims to secure rights for developers throughout the industry.
GDC 2020 will start on March 16th and come to a close on March 20th. The 20th annual Game Developers Choice Awards is happening in the middle of the conference on March 18th.
[Source: GDC]
