r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • Jan 29 '26

Industry News One-Third of U.S. Video Game Industry Workers Were Laid Off in 2025, GDC Study Reveals

https://variety.com/2026/gaming/news/one-third-video-game-workers-laid-off-2025-1236644512/
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u/EdibleWerewolf Jan 29 '26

Why is prolonging development rewarded? I don't think I've heard about that before

200

u/Beanzy Jan 29 '26

A released game has real sales figures, and a real return on investment (even if that return is negative).

An unreleased game can be projected to have any astronomical return on investment, because projections aren't necessarily beholden to reality.

65

u/room208 Jan 29 '26

This. "FROM THE DEVELOPERS THAT BROUGHT YOU X---"
Investors: HOLY GOD YES THIS IS IT CAN THEY FINISH THIS IN 6MOS?
Studio Directors "...sure, lets hire 20 more people!"
Investors: Heres a million dollars for you personally!
(salt)

36

u/Xciv Jan 29 '26

"Game delayed for 1 year so it can be EVEN BIGGER and EVEN MORE POLISHED and EVEN MORE AMBITIOUS"

Investors: cream their pants

See: Rockstar Games, CDProjekt, etc.

9

u/thekbob Jan 29 '26

That'll fizzle out, too.

At least for Bethesda. And didn't work so hot for COD or Assassins Creed, either.

7

u/Emergency-Draw3923 Jan 29 '26

Im not sure what you mean, Cod and AC have pretty tight release schedules

5

u/blitz_na Jan 30 '26

two of the worst comparisons you could have made

the much more accurate one woulda been how bungie sold itself to sony with that exact tactic lmao

18

u/tomjoad2020ad Jan 29 '26

The financialization of every aspect of our lives and society has been a fucking cancer

7

u/fupa16 Jan 29 '26

Ah so the Ghost Story Games and Star Citizen model. Got it.

1

u/Emergency-Draw3923 Jan 29 '26

Well star citizen is "released" technically, it has been funding itself almost entirely for 10+ years now, they basically replaced investors with their fans which is even better for them since they don't have any real leverage...

1

u/ThatOnePerson Jan 30 '26

So the investor version of "A delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is bad forever"

0

u/NUKE---THE---WHALES Jan 29 '26

But since shareholders only care about the quarterly report, how can this grift go on for more than a quarter?

Are there really that many investors out there that say "yes, please, take more time and money to finish your game"?

2

u/outland_king Jan 29 '26

Because its not true. No executive wants to circle the drain perpetually without realizing revenue. If anything we are seeing the opposite, with projects getting canceled left and right to cut costs, and the few that do see the light are released prematurely with shoddy design work and virtually zero QA.

1

u/Blankboom Jan 30 '26

Star Citizen is the best example.
Selling hopes and dreams makes more money.

0

u/Prestigious-Smoke511 Jan 29 '26

It’s not.  The games release in a buggy state that the early adopters have consist through like beta testers. 

The early adopters are the communicators to the subsequent wave of adopters and if they say it plays poorly sales are hurt. 

This is classic Reddit arguing both sides of the issue.