According to The Verge, a new Game Developers Conference survey of 2,300 industry professionals reveals a stark shift in sentiment. A full 52% of respondents now say generative AI is having a “negative” impact on the games industry, compared to just 7% who see it as positive. This negative outlook has exploded from just 18% in 2024 and 30% in 2025. While 36% of developers say they use gen AI in their jobs, most use it for research (81%) or admin tasks (47%), with only 5% using it on player-facing features. The survey also found 17% of devs were laid off in the last year, and 28% within two years, fueling industry-wide anxiety. GDC itself, where these issues will likely dominate, starts on March 9th in San Francisco.
The Stunning Reversal on AI
Here’s the thing: that jump from 18% negative to 52% negative in just two years is massive. It’s not a gradual creep; it’s a landslide. And it’s happening while the tech is actually being adopted, with over a third of devs using it. So what gives? Basically, the initial “cool toy” phase has worn off. The reality of how execs at places like EA and Krafton talk about AI—often in the same breath as “efficiency” and “productivity”—is colliding with a brutal season of layoffs and studio closures. When you see 28% of your peers laid off in two years, any tool marketed to “do more with less” starts to look less like an assistant and more like a threat.
How It’s Really Being Used
The usage data is telling. The vast majority are using AI for brainstorming and emails. That’s basically a fancy search engine and a text-paraphrasing tool. It’s useful, but it’s not creating the soul of a game. The fact that only 19% admit to using it for asset generation, and a mere 5% for player-facing features, speaks volumes. There’s a clear, self-imposed boundary here. Developers are pragmatic—they’ll use a tool to speed up a boring task—but they’re deeply skeptical of letting it near the creative core or the customer experience. It’s a tool for the margins, not the masterpiece.
The Shadow of Instability
You can’t separate the AI anxiety from the job anxiety. They’re intertwined. When 23% expect more layoffs and another 30% are just unsure, the entire environment is one of fear. And in that environment, any new technology gets viewed through a lens of job security. The educators’ perspective is the real gut punch, though. If 60% of them think it’ll be hard for students to break in, and you have quotes like “Most of my students will not have a career in game development,” the future pipeline looks broken. This isn’t just about current tools; it’s about a generation potentially being shut out before they even start.
What Happens Now?
So where does this go? The disconnect is huge. Studio leadership is often touting AI’s potential, while the rank-and-file view it with increasing dread. That’s not a sustainable path. The conversation at GDC this year will be heated, I’m sure. Will we see a push for clear ethical guidelines or union protections around AI use? Probably. The devs are drawing a line in the sand, saying the tech’s impact is net negative. Now the question is whether the people signing the checks will listen, or if they’ll just see the 36% usage rate as a foothold to push for more. The industry is at a real crossroads, and this survey shows the workers are not thrilled about the direction of one of the paths.
