
2025 is well and truly here. The games industry stands at a pivotal crossroads shaped by the challenges and innovations of recent years. Despite last year's widespread layoffs and uncertainty, the ongoing global demand for gaming experiences continues to fuel creativity, drive innovation, and redefine how studios approach game development and production.
I’ve taken a step back and looked at trends that will shape the games industry this year, from the rebirth of new studios to the evolving roles of AI and cybersecurity.
These trends not only highlight the adaptability of the industry but also underscore the exciting potential for growth and transformation in the years to come.
The Cycle Begins Again
After what has been arguably one of the worst periods for layoffs in the games sector, In 2025 we're going to see a hoard of new games studios arise from the ashes. Games is a passion industry and the talent tends to stay in the sector. The demand for games is the biggest it's ever been. We're already seeing new studios start to emerge, with more freedom over their creativity and autonomy over their direction.
Demand For Co-Development and 3rd Party Services Will Continue To Increase
The last period has shown how unsustainable it can be to build and maintain large internal teams, through the development and release cycle. In 2025, studios that have downsized will increase their collaboration with other games studios to allow them access to the talent, without the financial commitments and risks of full-time employment.
QA Continues To Shift Left
The combination of the ever-increasing complexity of modern games, teams pushing the boundaries of what each generation of hardware can do and internal pressure for teams to deliver quickly, results in bugs. Bugs are a natural by-product of software development and need to be planned for holistically.
Teams that include QA from the conception of the project, catch bugs faster and have better visibility of outstanding issues. This allows them to be able to plan and forecast more accurately and not get stuck in the crazy rush to find and fix everything before a fixed deadline.
AI Is Being Embraced (but not trusted)
We've seen tools and AI integrated across the board in all walks of software development across coding, Art, video generation, QA, content generation and more. While scaremongers are shouting that AI is taking people's jobs, the reality is that talent across all works of game development are using those tools to improve their productivity and workflow. Using these tools successfully is a new skill in itself, which will start being assessed as part of the hiring process.
Security and Cybersecurity Will See Even More Importance
Cyber security risks are probably at the highest they have ever been. The combination of the visibility of games studios, and the fact that many studios are relatively small makes them an attractive and often soft target for cyber attacks. Be it Ransomware attacks, DDoS, or data breaches. Games studios should be building security into their games and internal systems from the outset. Providing security training for their staff, managing their supply chain carefully and of course conducting 3rd party penetration tests before launch.
These trends reflect a dynamic and forward-thinking industry that continues to captivate and inspire audiences worldwide. As gaming moves further into the mainstream, 2025 is set to be a year where innovation and resilience pave the way for a brighter, more secure, and more creative future.
What have I missed? What do you think will be the big trends for next year? Let me know below 👇
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