Nearly a quarter of surveyed British developers have lost their jobs in the past three years

The global gaming industry has been experiencing a significant crisis for several years. As the UK Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIE) revealed, a substantial portion of UK game development specialists have been affected by it.

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UKIE came to this conclusion after surveying 1,610 developers from across the country.

In total, 22% of respondents admitted to UKIE that between 2023 and 2025, they had been unemployed at least once, due to mass layoffs, studio closures, or the expiration of employment contracts. Screenwriters were most affected, with 44% of those surveyed in this profession losing their jobs over three years. The list also includes artists (31%), game designers and level designers (30%), and sound designers (25%).

About half of the unemployed UK developers found new jobs within three months, but for many, the job search took more than a year.

An interesting fact: despite the situation, only 38% of surveyed developers are willing to recommend working in the UK game industry, yet 81% are proud to be part of it.

UKIE is not the first British association to notice these issues among local developers. Previously, TIGA found that from May 2024 to September 2025, the number of game development specialists in the UK decreased by 4.5%—the worst result in the country’s history.