Eight major trends that will shape the games industry in 2023

Gaming GDC’s annual survey highlights the latest in game development trends. by Robin Bea Jan. 19, 2023 Shutterstock

Shutterstock Every year, the Game Developers Conference captures developers’ perspectives on trends that shaped the last year in gaming. This year’s State of the Game Industry survey highlights unionization, accessibility, and metaverse skepticism .

Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman/Moment/Getty Images Here are 8 insights from the State of the Game Industry survey 2023

8. Console wars As in years past, most developers (65 percent) say they’re currently working on games for PC . That’s compared to 33 percent developing for PlayStation 5 and 28 percent developing for Xbox Series X/S. Lorado/E+/Getty Images

7. Not sold on blockchain Survey respondents whose studios are interested in exploring the blockchain through NFTs , cryptocurrency, or Web3 dropped from around 27 percent last year to 23 percent this year. Only 2 percent say their studios are actually using the blockchain . Shutterstock

Sky Mavis Numbers are even lower when it comes to who actually wants to use the blockchain . About 14 percent of developers are interested, and 61 percent are actively opposed , with the rest remaining unsure.

6. Indie vs. AAA When asked if they work for indie or AAA studios, developers’ responses show the distinction isn’t all that matters. Indie studios account for 39 percent of votes, and AAA studios got 23 percent. Others wrote in descriptions ranging from charity work to AA studios. Tunic Team

5. Who runs the Metaverse? Developers see Fortnite as most likely to bring the metaverse to life, with 14 percent of votes. Horizon Worlds and Minecraft got 7 percent of the vote, Roblox earned 5 percent. Epic Games

45% say the Metaverse won't become a reality at all Shutterstock

4. Working from home Remote work has become much more common since 2020, but some game studios have sought to bring staff back to the office in the last year. Shutterstock

Slightly fewer developers say they work mainly remotely this year (25 percent) than last year (29 percent). Hybrid work, where developers work partly from home and partly in an office, increased from 11 percent to 17 percent. xia yuan/Moment/Getty Images

3. Toxic players The vast majority of respondents say harassment and threats from players are a major concern, with women and LGBTQ+ devs being the most likely to have experienced or witnessed harassment. Shutterstock

91% of respondents overall say harassment is an issue Shutterstock

Shutterstock While 68 percent of respondents say their company responded to reports of harassment, 20 percent say there was no response , and the rest were unsure if anything was done.

2. Union support Unionization efforts at studios owned by Activision Blizzard have made headlines recently, but interest in unions stretches much further in the game industry. MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group/Getty Images

Game Workers Unite This year’s survey shows 53 percent of developers support unionization , a slight drop from 55 percent in 2022, while 22 percent have actively discussed forming unions with their colleagues.

1. Increasing accessibility Studios continue to focus more on accessibility , though fewer than half are making it a priority. This year, 38 percent say their studios are implementing accessibility features in games, the same number as last year. Shutterstock

Microsoft But those who say accessibility measures definitely aren’t being implemented dropped from 36 percent last year to 32 percent this year .

Eight major trends that will shape the games industry in 2023

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