The Game Developers Conference is right around the corner, and just to get a feel of the state of the Video Games industry, GDC has released results of a survey. The survey featured developers who attended the conference last year and/or plan to attend this year. This survey shows just what these developers are working on and it is a pretty interesting study. Here are the results:
Smartphones, and Tablets are here to stay. Many gamers or “hardcore gamers” scoff at the notation of iPhone games, iPad games, and all that. But, the numbers don’t lie, developers are working on games for those devices. 38% of developers released their last game for smartphones and tablets. 55 percent of developers, right now, are working on games that will come to smartphones and tablets. That’s not all, though, 58% plan on releasing their next games on smartphones and/or tablets.
PCs and Macs are in a good state. PC Gaming, the good old stand by, is staying strong with 34.6% of developers releasing their last games for PCs/Macs, 48% developing their current games for the platform, and 49% planning their next games on PCs and Macs.
Smartphones continuing to take over the handheld market and gaming industry as a whole.
Console Development Dwindles. The big three of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are struggling, in terms of developers, developing for their respective consoles. Sony and Microsoft, though, are in a better state than Nintendo. 13.2% are currently developing for the Xbox 360 and close to 14% planning their next game on the 360. For the PlayStation 3, 13% are releasing their current game for the console, and 12.4% their next game.
The Nintendo Wii U, is in a pretty bad state. Especially, since it’s a new console. Developers aren’t jumping on the new toy. Only 4.6% of developers are currently making a Wii U game, and just 6.4% of the developers surveyed are making their next game for the console.
In terms of the next-gen consoles for Sony and Microsoft 11% of respondents are making their next game for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Next Box.
53% of developers consider themselves ‘Indie Developers’. An answer to why Smartphones and Tablets are getting more support from North American developers is because more developers are becoming smaller and Indie. It’s much easier to make a game for Smartphones and Tablets. You don’t have to jump through hoops. Make a game, throw it in the store boom. There you go. 46% of the survey’s respondents work within companies of ten people or less. Further proving the move to indie, only 24% of those surveyed worked with a publisher on their last game, while an even smaller 20% are doing so on their current projects.
Uh, wait which one is getting more developer support?
Dedicated Gaming Handhelds Showing Minimal Support. Here is a bit of a surprise. Not that dedicated Gaming Handhelds are pretty much dead, but that Sony’s PlayStation Vita has more support than Nintendo’s 3DS. While less than 2% of respondents made their last game for the console, 4.2% are making their current game for Vita, and just over 5% plan to release their next game there. And North American developers are unconvinced of the Nintendo 3DS’s potential. 2% are currently making a 3DS game, and only 2.8% of developers plan to release their next game on the 3DS.
Developers aren’t interested in Nintendo. In terms of interest, everything is pretty high. Smartphones/Tablets are at 58 and 56%. When asked about a PC-based TV console, such as Valve’s Steam Box, 45% are interested in that. Android home consoles, like the OUYA and GameStick are at 37%. Even Sony and Microsoft have interest among developers. Microsoft’s Next-Box is at 29% and the PS4 is at 27%. Nintendo is really the only one that’s really low. The Wii U is at 13% and the 3DS is at 5%.
