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. Let's delve into the key findings:

PC Dominance: A Growing Trend

The report revealed a striking 80% of game developers are prioritizing PC as their primary development platform, a substantial 14% increase from the 66% reported in 2024. While the exact reasons remain unclear, the report suggests the rising popularity of Valve's Steam Deck might be a contributing factor. Interestingly, while the Steam Deck wasn't a direct survey option, 44% of those selecting "Other" specified the Steam Deck as a target platform.

This trend builds upon previous years, with PC's dominance steadily growing from 56% in 2020. Although the emergence of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipated release of the Switch 2, represent significant market forces, PC remains the leading platform. The continued growth in PC game releases is expected if this trend persists. However, the Switch 2's potential graphical and performance enhancements could potentially alter this trajectory.

Live Service Games: A Double-Edged Sword

The report also sheds light on the prevalence of live service games within the AAA development landscape. A third (33%) of AAA developers are currently working on a live service title. Across all respondents, 16% are actively developing live service games, with an additional 13% expressing interest. However, a significant 41% showed no interest, citing concerns such as declining player engagement, creative limitations, potentially exploitative practices, and developer burnout.

GDC emphasizes market saturation as a major challenge for live service games, highlighting Ubisoft's recent closure of XDefiant as a prime example of the difficulties in sustaining player bases.

Geographic Representation: A Note of Caution

A subsequent report by PC Gamer highlighted a significant underrepresentation of non-Western developers in the GDC survey. Nearly 70% of respondents hailed from Western countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia), with notable absences from major gaming regions like China and Japan. This raises concerns about potential biases in the GDC report's findings and their applicability to the global game development landscape.

In conclusion, the GDC report offers valuable insights into current industry trends, but the limitations regarding geographic representation warrant consideration when interpreting the results.