The Skillsearch Salary & Satisfaction survey pulls no punches: 44% of games industry professionals have considered leaving outright because of the endless redundancies. Conducted between November 2025 and February 2026 with 1,000 respondents across multiple regions, the data shows 22% were made redundant in the past year alone, while only 35% reported that they or their studio escaped the chopping block entirely. In the UK, that figure jumps to 76% eyeing exits from the sector in 2026. Veterans with 10+ years of experience, senior roles, and artists took the hardest hits, especially at larger studios. The leading culprits? Reduced investor funding, budget cuts, and a chronic lack of projects.

This isn't abstract churn. Of those laid off, just 45% landed new gigs, and only 27% feel secure in them. Many took months to recover financially, with job security and cost of living concerns overriding even attractive relocation packages. Broader GDC and industry surveys echo the burnout: one-third of US workers reported being laid off in the past two years, with Reddit threads full of veterans citing 18-24 month average tenures before tapping out. The memo from middle management reads like a hostage note, promising recovery while cycling through talent like disposable assets.

The receipts are damning. Layoffs may have dipped slightly from 2024's peak, but the human cost is a slow bleed of institutional knowledge and passion. Studios keep treating experienced staff as line items instead of the only thing that actually ships good games. No wonder so many are updating their LinkedIn and walking away. The industry doesn't have a retention problem. It has a respect problem.