Throughout the video game industry’s rather disastrous 2024, the idea that seemed to sustain everyone was that it would return to growth the following year. Gaming Backend Provider Metaplay today revealed a new report that shows how optimistic the industry is – at least on a macro level – about achieving this goal. In fact, according to Metaplay’s report, 77% of developers surveyed are optimistic that 2025 will bring a renaissance to gaming.
Metaplay’s report covers findings from 150 tech leads and studio executives creating games with Unity. In addition to the aforementioned 77%, the report shows that 90% of these developers say they plan to release a game in 2025. 71% believe 2025 will see fewer layoffs and studio closures (although considering the number of layoffs in 2024). (i.e. getting less is not a difficult task to accomplish), and 76% anticipate greater availability for publishing contracts.
One of the major topics of the report concerns the outlook for the year. A majority of developers surveyed believe that in 2025, game distribution will be wider (71%), revenue from live service titles will increase (75%), and development costs will be lower (63%). 75% also believe they will have better access to high-end tools, which would also reduce development costs.
We “survived to 25” – now what?
Much like the video game industry’s desire to return to growth, it also lived by the motto “Survive until 2025”, convinced that this year would be more favorable to the industry than the previous one. As noted above, most developers said they planned to release a new game this year, while 53% of those who didn’t said they wanted to focus on existing titles.
Teemu Haila, CTO and co-founder of Metaplay, said in a statement: “Our results showed that LiveOps, cross-platform development and external technology are at the heart of the game development renaissance. The Renaissance is much more than a catchy title. It’s a movement, a change in the way game development happens. This represents an era where studios no longer need to rely on raw headcount to achieve growth. Instead, growth is achieved through smarter tools, smaller teams, and sharper strategy.
John Wright, vice president of mobile games at Kwalee, added to the report: “The biggest hits in 2024 came not from new games, but from LiveOps. If you look at the top 100 grossing games today, most of them are over four years old. We used to call them “evergreen” games, but now they are becoming “evergreen games” that can stay relevant for seven to ten years. This is a massive change. LiveOps is at the heart of this transformation and is just one sign of a shift in attitude that is fueling the renaissance of the mobile games industry.
