Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2025
Download PDFE x c lu s iv e s p o n s o r:
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m G A M E S I N D U S T R Y
E M P L O Y M E N T
S U R V E Y 2 0 2 5B i g S A L A R IE S , C O M P E N S A T IO N T R E N D S A N D
S T A T E O F T H E G A M E S S E C T O R IN E U R O P E
26% e xp e rie n c e d la yo ffs in th e p a st ye a r, w ith g a m e d e sig n e rs,
a rtists, a n d Q A sp e c ia lists h it th e h a rd e st.
13% le ft th e g a m e s in d u stry e n tire ly in th e p a st ye a r.
M a rke tin g p ro fe ssio n a ls le a d th e tre n d , w ith 24% sw itc h in g to o th e r
in d u strie s — th e h ig h e st ra te a c ro ss a ll ro le s.
A t th e ju n io r le ve l, 39% e xite d th e in d u stry in 20 24– 20 25.
15% h a ve b e e n jo b h u n tin g fo r o ve r a ye a r — o r a re still se a rc h in g .
A m o n g p ro g ra m m e rs, 18 % sa y it ta ke s a ye a r o r m o re to la n d a n e w
ro le .
W h e n c h a n g in g jo b s la st ye a r, 28 % a c c e p te d w o rse te rm s — e ith e r
a lo w e r sa la ry o r a lo w e r p o sitio n .
O n ly 1% o f re sp o n d e n ts a re in te re ste d in d e ve lo p in g h y p e r-c a su a l
g a m e s.
S a la ry re m a in s th e to p p rio rity w h e n c h o o sin g a n e m p lo ye r fo r 8 7%
o f p ro fe ssio n a ls.
H a lf o f a ll re sp o n d e n ts re p o rt e xp e rie n c in g p ro fe ssio n a l b u rn o u t.
41% h a ve a p e rso n a l p ro je c t o n th e sid e , m o st o fte n p ro g ra m m e rs,
g a m e d e sig n e rs, a n d a rtists.
Q A sp e c ia lists a re th e m o st ske p tic a l a b o u t A I: 24% n e ith e r u se it
fo r w o rk n o r p la n to — th e h ig h e st ra te o f a n y ro le .
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
H i g h l i g h t s o f 2 0 2 5 2
W h o c o n d u c t e d t h e s t u d y ?
Th is stu d y w a s c o n d u c te d fo r th e n in th tim e a n d th e th ird a t th e
in te rn a tio n a l le ve l. It p ro vid e s a n in -d e p th lo o k in to th e Eu ro p e a n vid e o
g a m e s in d u stry. A c o lla b o ra tio n b e tw e e n V a lu e s V a lu e a n d In G a m e J o b ,
th e re se a rc h e xp lo re s ke y tre n d s in sa la rie s, jo b sa tisfa c tio n , jo b
se c u rity, a n d c a re e r d e ve lo p m e n t a c ro ss d iffe re n t ro le s a n d re g io n s.
V a lu e s V a lu e is a re c ru itm e n t e xp e rt in h irin g to p g a m e d e ve lo p m e n t
ta le n t.
In G a m e J o b is a n o n lin e p la tfo rm fo r fin d in g c a re e r o p p o rtu n itie s in
th e g a m in g in d u stry.
La st ye a r’s re su lts w e re p re se n te d e xc lu sive ly a t d e vc o m D e ve lo p e r
C o n fe re n c e 20 24. Yo u c a n w a tc h th e fu ll ta lk b y Ta n ja Lo ktio n o va ,
fo u n d e r o f V a lu e s V a lu e a n d c o -fo u n d e r o f In G a m e J o b , o n Yo uTu b e
h e re .
W h a t is t h is s t u d y a b o u t ?
W e ’re lo o kin g in to h o w se c u re in d u stry p ro fe ssio n a ls fe e l, fo c u sin g o n
th e ir vie w s o n th e like lih o o d o f la yo ffs, th e ir th o u g h ts o n sw itc h in g jo b s
in 20 25, a n d h o w m a n y h a ve le ft th e in d u stry d u e to jo b c u ts. W e ’re a lso
id e n tify in g th e g ro u p s m o st vu ln e ra b le to th e se c h a n g e s. A lo n g sid e
in c o m e a n d jo b sa tisfa c tio n , o u r re se a rc h e xp lo re s th e e c o n o m ic
e ffe c ts o f m a ss la yo ffs. R e sp o n d e n ts a lso sh a re d w h ic h c o m p a n ie s
th e y ’d like to w o rk fo r a n d th e ir p re fe rre d g e n re s a n d p la tfo rm s. A s
a lw a ys, a la rg e se c tio n o f th e re p o rt is d e d ic a te d to e N P S , b ro ke n d o w n
b y va rio u s c rite ria . Th is h e lp s u s u n d e rsta n d h o w fa c to rs like c o m p a n y
ty p e , size , p ro je c t g e n re , a n d e ve n th e p re se n c e o f a p e t p ro je c t im p a c t
e m p lo ye e e n g a g e m e n t a n d lo ya lty.
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
I n t r o d u c t i o n
& R e s e a r c h M e t h o d o l o g y
3
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m H o w w a s t h e s t u d y c o n d u c t e d ?
Th e re se a rc h w a s c o n d u c te d a n o n y m o u sly fro m M a rc h to J u n e 20 25.
A to ta l o f 1,650 re sp o n d e n ts fro m 85 c o u n trie s w o rld w id e p a rtic ip a te d in
th e stu d y.
Th e d a ta w a s c le a n se d o f in va lid a n d a n o m a lo u s sa la ry re sp o n se s. W e
a n a ly ze o n ly th e Eu ro p e a n re g io n in o rd e r to re p re se n t va lid d a ta fo r
th is re p o rt.
W e d ivid e Eu ro p e in to tw o re g io n s (Eu ro p e a n U n io n a n d N o n -Eu ro p e a n
U n io n ) b e c a u se th e re a re sig n ific a n t d iffe re n c e s in th e c o st o f livin g ,
in c o m e , e xp e n se s, a n d ta xe s. Th is w a y, w e p re se n t m o re a c c u ra te
fig u re s in th e sa la ry c h a rts.
Fo r th e sa ke o f c la rity, th e fo llo w in g c o u n trie s w e re g ro u p e d to g e th e r
a s th e re g io n “Eu ro p e (EU +U K +S w itze rla n d )”: A u stria , B e lg iu m , B u lg a ria ,
C ro a tia , C y p ru s, C ze c h R e p u b lic , D e n m a rk, Esto n ia , Fin la n d , Fra n c e ,
G e rm a n y, G re e c e , H u n g a ry, Ire la n d , Ita ly, La tvia , Lith u a n ia , M a lta ,
N e th e rla n d s, P o la n d , P o rtu g a l, R o m a n ia , S lo va kia , S lo ve n ia , S p a in ,
S w e d e n , S w itze rla n d , a n d th e U n ite d K in g d o m . Th e size o f th e sa m p le –
70 9 p e o p le .
Th e fo llo w in g c o u n trie s w e re g ro u p e d to g e th e r a s th e re g io n
“Eu ro p e (N o n -EU )”: A rm e n ia , B e la ru s, G e o rg ia , M o ld o va , B o sn ia a n d
H e rze g o vin a , M o n te n e g ro , N o rth M a c e d o n ia , S e rb ia a n d U kra in e . Th e
size o f th e sa m p le – 543 re sp o n d e n ts.
I n t r o d u c t i o n
& R e s e a r c h M e t h o d o l o g y
4
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
I n t r o d u c t i o n
& R e s e a r c h M e t h o d o l o g y
W h o p a r t ic ip a t e d in t h e s t u d y ?
56% m a le , 25% fe m a le , 19% o th e r
8% J u n io r, 24% M id d le , 35% S e n io r, 29% Le a d /To p
21% h a ve o ve r 10 ye a rs o f e xp e rie n c e in g a m e s
82% h a ve a b a c h e lo r’s o r m a ste r’s d e g re e , 8% d id n o t fin ish
u n ive rsity, 6% h a ve o n ly a h ig h sc h o o l e d u c a tio n , a n d 3% h a ve a P h D .
T h a n k y o u !
Th is ye a r, w e w o u ld like to th a n k th e p a rtn e rs a n d sp o n so rs o f th is
re se a rc h w h o su p p o rte d o u r in itia tive : th e g a m in g c o m p a n ie s TA P C LA P ,
H y p e rc e ll, H y p e rV R , J o y te ra c tive , a n d th e re c ru itm e n t a g e n c y Trib e .
A sp e c ia l th a n k yo u g o e s to o u r m a in sp o n so r, th e g a m in g c o m p a n y
S c o re w a rrio r.
5 E x c l u s i v e P a r t n e r
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
C o n t e n t
In tro d u c tio n & R e se a rc h M e th o d o lo g y
S a la ry D a ta 20 25
S a tisfa c tio n W ith C u rre n t S a la ry
G e n d e r P a y G a p
C o m p e n sa tio n s a n d B e n e fits
e N P S : W h a t M a ke s E m p lo y e e s Lo y a l & E n g a g e d
A I A d o p tio n
W o rk A rra n g e m e n t Tre n d s
J o b C h a n g e
R e lo c a tio n
Fre e la n c e a n d P e t P ro je c ts: E xtra In c o m e B e y o n d Fu ll-
T im e J o b s
W e ll-B e in g : H o w G a m e D e v P ro fe ssio n a ls Fe e l a n d
W h a t C h a lle n g e s T h e y Fa c e
T h e M o st D e sire d C o m p a n ie s to W o rk Fo r
U se fu l Lin k s
63
7
17
2 0
2 2
2 5
3 1
3 6
4 0
5 1
5 6
5 9
72
74
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
M e d ia n sa la ry is th e m e d ia n va lu e o f sa la rie s in e u ro . Th e m e d ia n
va lu e d ivid e s th e sa m p le in to tw o e q u a l p a rts: o n e -h a lf o f
re sp o n d e n ts re c e ive sa la rie s le ss th a n th e m e d ia n , a n d th e o th e r h a lf
m o re th a n th e m e d ia n . A ll sa la rie s a re g ro ss, a n n u a l, a n d in e u ro .
M e d ia n A n n u a l S a la r y B y R o le s
A n d R e g io n s B a s e d O n T h e L e v e l O f S e n io r it y
S E N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R 7 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P A n a ly t ic s P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t F o u n d e r / C o – f o u n d e r H R / R e c r u it in g G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n
9 2 5 0 0
5 7 0 0 0
7 8 0 0 0
5 3 0 0 0
7 0 0 0 0
4 8 0 0 0
6 8 0 0 0
3 1 2 0 0
6 0 6 6 4
5 2 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
5 5 9 7 9
2 6 7 5 0
5 5 0 0 0
3 8 4 0 0
4 3 5 0 0
3 2 4 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
M ID D LE LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R J U N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R 8 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n G a m e D e s ig n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n A r t / D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t H R / R e c r u it in g Q A / T e s t in g
4 1 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
3 4 2 0 0
2 1 0 7 2
3 1 2 0 0
1 8 3 6 0
3 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 0
3 4 0 0 0
2 5 0 2 8
2 6 4 0 0
1 8 0 0 0
2 5 9 0 0
1 6 9 3 5 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 A r t / D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t
1 7 5 3 5
8 0 2 0
2 5 0 0 0
8 6 7 2
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
S E N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , E U +U K +C H (20 23– 20 25) S a la r ie s C o m p a r e d t o 2 0 2 4 a n d 2 0 2 3 :
W h a t H a s C h a n g e d ?
9 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P A n a ly t ic s P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n H R / R e c r u it in g Q A / T e s t in g
9 2 5 0 0
8 4 0 0 0
8 0 0 0 0
7 8 0 0 0
7 7 0 0 0
6 9 4 2 2
6 0 6 6 4
6 6 1 5 1
6 0 8 2 8
7 0 0 0 0
6 6 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
6 8 0 0 0
5 6 0 0 0
4 4 6 0 4
5 5 0 0 0
5 2 2 0 0
5 0 7 9 8
4 3 5 0 0
5 1 0 0 0
4 9 0 0 0
5 5 9 7 9
3 6 0 0 0
4 7 6 0 0
4 2 1 5 6
3 5 5 0 0
4 6 7 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
S E N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , N O N -E U (20 23– 20 25) 10 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P A n a ly t ic s P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n H R / R e c r u it in g Q A / T e s t in g
5 7 0 0 0
5 6 4 0 0
5 2 0 0 0
5 3 0 0 0
4 9 2 0 0
4 9 0 0 0
5 2 0 0 0
5 4 0 0 0
4 9 0 0 0
4 8 0 0 0
3 9 2 5 0
4 8 0 0 0
3 1 2 0 0
4 2 0 0 0
3 7 8 0 0
3 8 4 0 0
3 4 7 8 0
3 2 9 1 3
3 2 4 0 0
3 5 2 0 0
3 0 7 8 0
2 6 7 5 0
2 7 6 0 0
2 9 5 0 0
3 2 1 0 0
3 1 0 1 0
3 9 8 0 0
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
M ID D LE LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , E U +U K +C H (20 23– 20 25) w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m M ID D LE LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , N O N -E U (20 23– 20 25) 11 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n H R / R e c r u it in g G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n Q A / T e s t in g
3 4 0 0 0
4 7 0 0 0
3 5 0 0 0
4 1 0 0 0
4 5 3 0 0
3 1 2 1 9
2 6 4 0 0
3 6 9 6 0
4 0 5 3 1
3 4 2 0 0
3 4 5 0 0
3 0 2 8 3
3 0 0 0 0
2 5 0 0 0
2 7 0 1 2
2 5 9 0 0
1 9 0 3 8
1 6 0 8 0 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n H R / R e c r u it in g G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n Q A / T e s t in g
2 5 0 2 8
2 7 8 0 0
2 6 1 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
2 6 4 0 0
2 4 7 0 0
1 8 0 0 0
1 5 5 0 0
1 4 4 0 0
2 1 0 7 2
1 9 5 8 2
2 1 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 0
2 0 1 5 0
1 8 0 0 0
1 6 9 3 5
1 3 8 0 0
1 7 1 9 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
Ta n ja Lo ktio n o va
Founder at Values Value,
C o-Founder at InG am e Job
“Salaries for program m ers, especially U nity
developers, have been going dow n. There just aren’t
enough open roles for them , and the m arket’s becom e
highly com petitive. In som e cases, dev specialists
even low er their salary expectations by half just to
land a job. Another big factor is AI — copilots, cursors,
and sim ilar tools. D evelopm ent really is speeding up
thanks to them , and that changes the w hole
landscape.
This isn’t just happening in the gam es industry. It’s a
broader trend across m obile developm ent as a w hole.
The only developers w hose rates are going up right
now are AI specialists. In fact, m any job descriptions
now explicitly expect candidates to be able to w ork
faster w ith AI tools.”
J U N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , E U +U K +C H (20 23– 20 25) J U N IO R LE V E L, M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , N O N -E U (20 23– 20 25) 12 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 A r t / D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t
1 7 5 3 5
2 3 6 9 3
1 9 8 1 7
2 5 0 0 0
2 4 2 5 0
2 2 2 5 0 2 0 2 5 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 3
0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 A r t / D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t
8 0 2 0
1 0 4 0 0
1 2 0 0 0
8 6 7 2
1 2 0 0 0
1 2 5 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
M e d ia n A n n u a l S a la r y B y P la t f o r m s , G e n r e s ,
M o n e t iz a t io n T y p e s , C o m p a n y T y p e s
Th is y e a r, w e c o n tin u e to in ve stig a te w h e th e r th e re ’s a c o rre la tio n
b e tw e e n in c o m e le ve l a n d th e g e n re o f th e p ro je c t a g a m e in d u stry
p ro fe ssio n a l is w o rkin g o n . W e w e re a lso c u rio u s to se e if th e re ’s a
d iffe re n c e in sa la rie s b e tw e e n th o se re le a sin g th e ir g a m e s o n m o b ile
d e vic e s a n d th o se d e ve lo p in g g a m e s fo r P C . A d d itio n a lly , w e w a n te d
to fin d o u t if th e ty p e o f g a m e m o n e tiza tio n a ffe c ts in c o m e le ve ls. Ta ke
a lo o k a t th e c h a rts b e lo w to se e th e re su lts w e o b ta in e d .
20 25 M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , B Y P LA T FO R M S A m o n g p la tfo rm s, S o c ia l N e tw o rks o ffe r th e h ig h e st sa la rie s.
Th e la rg e st EU vs. n o n -EU sa la ry g a p is in W e b / B ro w se r p la tfo rm s
— a sta g g e rin g 110 % .
13 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 S o c ia l N e t w o r k s S t r e a m in g P la t f o r m s W e b / B r o w s e r A p p S t o r e G o o g le P la y O t h e r M o b ile S t o r e s C o n s o le N in t e n d o S w it c h P C / M a c (S t e a m / E p ic a n d o t h e r s )
7 9 0 0 0
3 7 8 5 8
7 0 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 7 2 0 0
3 2 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
3 3 6 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
3 3 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
3 7 8 5 8
5 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 4 2
4 8 3 6 0
3 1 2 1 4
4 7 9 4 0
3 2 0 8 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
20 25 M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , B Y M O N E T IZ A T IO N T Y P E B y m o n e tiza tio n ty p e , th e b ig g e st sa la ry d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n EU a n d
n o n -EU p ro fe ssio n a ls is in Fre e m iu m — a re m a rka b le 158% g a p . 14 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 H y b r id F r e e m iu m A d s m o n e t iz a t io n A p p le A r c a d e / G o o g le p la y p a s s F r e e – t o – p la y / In – a p p p u r c h a s e s S u b s c r ip t io n W e b 3 P a id / P r e m iu m D L C s / E x p a n s io n s
7 9 5 0 0
4 0 9 6 3
7 7 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 8 7 1 0
3 7 4 5 8
6 0 1 8 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
3 4 5 0 0
5 4 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
3 3 2 4 0
4 3 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
4 1 6 2 7
3 1 8 1 4
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
20 25 M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , B Y T Y P E O F S P E C IA LIZ A T IO N Eu ro p e a n P u b lish e rs p a y 89% m o re th a n n o n -EU P u b lish e rs.
A n e ve n g re a te r g a p is se e n a m o n g th o se w h o se le c te d “I w o rk fo r
m y se lf / in d ie te a m ” — a 217% d iffe re n c e .
20 25 M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , B Y G E N R E O F C U R R E N T P R O J E C T S 15 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 P u b lis h e r P r o d u c t c o m p a n y & P u b lis h e r P r o d u c t c o m p a n y (c o lla b o r a t e s w it h P u b lis h e r ) N e a r – g a m in g s e r v ic e c o m p a n y O u t s o u r c in g c o m p a n y I w o r k f o r m y s e lf / in d ie t e a m M a r k e t in g / U A / a d v e r t is in g a g e n c y / A d t e c h
6 2 5 8 0
3 3 0 0 0
5 6 3 4 0
3 6 5 5 0
4 3 5 0 0
3 0 8 2 9
4 0 0 0 0
2 2 5 0 0
3 8 9 2 2
2 4 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
9 4 5 0
2 7 0 0 0
1 8 0 0 0 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 H y p e r C a s u a l M id c o r e C a s u a l H a r d c o r e In d ie K id s E d u c a t io n
7 9 5 0 0
4 0 9 6 3
7 7 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 8 7 1 0
3 7 4 5 8
6 0 1 8 0
3 0 0 0 0
5 4 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
3 3 2 4 0
4 3 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a l a r y D a t a 2 0 2 5
20 25 M E D IA N , G R O S S , E U R /Y E A R , B Y G E N R E 16 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 F ig h t in g a n d M a r t ia l A r t s M M O M M O R P G T o w e r D e f e n c e H id d e n O b je c t / H O P A G r a n d & 4 x S t r a t e g y W o r d T y c o o n R T S B a t t le R o y a le M a t c h – 3 / C o lla p s e M e r g e S t r a t e g y R P G S lo t s / S o c ia l C a s in o / G a m b lin g R a c in g F a r m / C it y B u ild e r S p o r t T u r n – b a s e d S t r a t e g y Q u iz S im u la t io n S t r a t e g y B o a r d T u r n – b a s e d S h o o t e r A d v e n t u r e / E x p lo r a t io n R P G R o u g e – lik e A c t io n P u z z le A d v e n t u r e R P G V is u a l N o v e l F a m ily / K id s S t o r y – R ic h P la t f o r m e r / R u n n in g In d ie A R
9 0 0 0 0
3 7 0 0 0
7 9 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
7 6 0 0 0
3 1 8 1 4
7 6 0 0 0
2 8 3 5 0
7 5 0 0 0
2 4 0 0 0
7 3 0 0 0
3 0 6 1 4
7 2 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 8 1 7 3
3 2 1 1 4
6 8 0 0 0
3 0 6 1 4
6 6 4 5 0
3 0 0 0 0
6 5 0 0 0
3 0 5 0 0
6 5 5 0 0
3 1 2 2 7
6 3 0 0 0
2 9 4 0 0
6 2 5 0 5
3 0 0 0 0
6 2 5 0 0
3 0 6 1 4
5 4 0 0 0
3 3 0 0 0
5 6 5 0 0
3 0 0 0 0
5 6 1 8 0
2 7 5 0 0
5 5 0 0 0
2 7 6 0 0
5 5 0 0 0
2 8 5 0 0
5 5 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
5 4 0 0 0
3 0 5 0 0
5 4 0 0 0
2 3 3 0 0
5 2 2 0 0
3 2 3 8 0
5 1 4 8 2
3 3 0 8 4
5 1 0 0 0
3 1 6 9 4
5 0 2 3 0
2 0 0 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
4 8 7 9 2
3 0 0 0 0
4 6 0 0 0
3 2 2 0 0
4 5 0 0 0
2 2 8 0 0
4 2 0 0 0
2 8 5 0 0
4 2 0 0 0
2 7 5 0 0
3 8 5 0 0
3 4 5 0 0
3 1 4 0 6
3 0 0 0 0
2 5 2 0 0
2 6 5 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a t i s f a c t i o n
W i t h C u r r e n t S a l a r y
H o w sa tisfie d a re g a m e in d u stry p ro fe ssio n a ls w ith th e ir in c o m e ? W e
a ske d re sp o n d e n ts to ra te th e ir in c o m e sa tisfa c tio n o n a five -p o in t
sc a le .
Th is y e a r’s re su lts sh o w a d e c lin e in sa la ry sa tisfa c tio n a c ro ss m o st
se n io rity le ve ls c o m p a re d to 20 24:
J u n io rs: 2 o u t o f 5 (d o w n fro m 2.1 in 20 24)
M id -le ve l: 2.8 o u t o f 5 (vs. 3.0 in 20 24)
S e n io rs: 3.3 o u t o f 5 (vs. 3.5 in 20 24)
To p m a n a g e rs: 3.6 o u t o f 5 (a lm o st u n c h a n g e d fro m 3.7 in 20 24).
Th e d e c lin e is m o st visib le a m o n g e n try -le ve l a n d m id -le ve l sp e c ia lists,
m a n y o f w h o m fa c e d sa la ry fre e ze s, re d u c e d b o n u se s, o r slo w e r c a re e r
p ro g re ssio n in th e p a st y e a r. A t th e sa m e tim e , to p m a n a g e rs re m a in
re la tive ly sa tisfie d , h ig h lig h tin g a n o n g o in g im b a la n c e in
c o m p e n sa tio n d y n a m ic s.
W h o ’s t h e m o s t d is s a t is f ie d ?
J u n io rs: a rtists a c ro ss a ll Eu ro p e
M id -le ve l: Q A sp e c ia lists in th e EU a n d a rtists in b o th EU a n d n o n -EU
re g io n s
S e n io rs: Q A sp e c ia lists in th e EU a n d m a rke tin g sp e c ia lists o u tsid e
th e EU
W h o ’s t h e h a p p ie s t ?
J u n io rs: p ro g ra m m e rs in b o th re g io n s
M id -le ve l: p ro g ra m m e rs a n d m a rke tin g sp e c ia lists in th e EU
S e n io rs: a n a ly sts, C -le ve l e xe c u tive s, a n d H R in th e EU
17
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
S a t i s f a c t i o n
W i t h C u r r e n t S a l a r y
W h y is s a t is f a c t io n d r o p p in g ? Je le n a K o te lo va
HR M anager,
Hypercell G am es
& HyperVR G am es
“O ver the past year, the gam es industry has
undergone a num ber of changes — both at the m arket
level and in term s of broader global dynam ics:
currency fluctuations, inflation, and the rise of AI.
These factors are im pacting not just individual
professionals, but com panies them selves.
M any of today’s m id-level specialists entered the
industry during the boom years of 2020–2021 — a tim e
of rapid grow th and abundant job opportunities. Back
then, expectations w ere high: fast career progression,
frequent raises, and plenty of offers to choose from ,
often w ith attractive financial term s.
By 2025, the m arket has shifted. Fast grow th has given
w ay to a focus on optim ization.
Add to that the effects of the external econom ic
clim ate — inflation, currency instability, and other
global pressures — and it becom es clear that
declining satisfaction w ith salaries reflects m ore than
just trends in gam e developm ent. It m irrors a broader
feeling across the job m arket: people are w orking just
as hard, if not harder, but often feel like the return on
their effort isn’t w hat it used to be.
I truly hope this is just a tem porary phase — and that
in the near future, the m arket w ill once again offer
m ore opportunities and open new doors for em erging
talent.”
18
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m “U npaid for the last six m onths — the com pany ran out of m oney.”
“M y U S m anager refused to give m e a raise, saying: “I think it’s enough for Europe.”
“The com pany keeps piling m ore and m ore w ork onto em ployees w ithout increasing
salaries. Top m anagem ent keeps m aking poor decisions.”
“Please, just give m e a job. M oney isn’t the issue — as long as it’s enough to cover m y
living expenses and a pack of cigarettes a day.”
“After 12 years in this industry, I’ve never felt m ore disappointed in how m y profession
is treated. M ore than ever, em ployers m ake it seem like it’s our fault — just to justify
low ering salaries and expecting one person to do the w ork of three. W hile I do believe
that to excel you should broaden your skills, the dem ands placed on a single role —
say, a 2D Artist — have becom e absurd. Em ployers often use the high level of
com petition to their advantage. I’m truly disappointed.”
“The trust in com panies is gone. The trust in the future of gam es is gone. W e’re
overw orked, underpaid, poorly trained, and often expected to take on responsibilities
far beyond our roles w ithout com pensation. I’ve been tasked w ith m arketing, U I,
texturing, engine im plem entation, and m ore — all on top of an already overloaded job
— w ith the unspoken expectation that I do it just to keep m y position. The excuse w as
alw ays, “It’s part of the industry.” There w as no credit for the extra w ork either. And
w hile the pay w as decent, I can’t help but w onder if it’s all really w orth it.”
S a t i s f a c t i o n
W i t h C u r r e n t S a l a r y
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 19
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
G e n d e r
P a y G a p
Th e g e n d e r p a y g a p in g a m e d e ve lo p m e n t p e rsists d e sp ite g ro w in g
a tte n tio n to in c lu sivity . W o m e n re m a in u n d e rre p re se n te d — e sp e c ia lly
in le a d e rsh ip a n d h ig h -p a y in g te c h n ic a l ro le s — a n d c o n tin u e to fa c e
b a rrie rs to c a re e r g ro w th . Th e se stru c tu ra l im b a la n c e s, a lo n g w ith
lin g e rin g ste re o ty p e s, c o n trib u te to lo w e r a ve ra g e sa la rie s fo r w o m e n
a c ro ss th e in d u stry .
G e n d e r b re a kd o w n o f th e Eu ro p e a n a u d ie n c e : 55.4% m a le , 25% fe m a le ,
19.5% o th e rs.
20 25 E U R O P E , A C T U A L M E D IA N S A LA R Y , B Y G E N D E R , E U R /Y E A R 2 0 M a le F e m a le
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n G a m e D e s ig n B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s A r t / D e s ig n H R / R e c r u it in g C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t Q A / T e s t in g
8 5 2 0 0
6 6 1 0 0
6 2 4 0 0
5 0 2 8 9
4 8 0 0 0
4 2 0 0 0
4 3 2 0 0
5 0 5 0 0
4 0 0 0 0
3 9 1 7 5
3 4 8 0 0
4 4 0 0 0
3 3 0 0 0
2 6 5 7 7
3 1 0 0 0
2 8 8 0 0
2 5 2 7 5
2 4 0 0 0
2 4 3 0 0
2 5 2 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
G e n d e r
P a y G a p
20 25 E U R O P E , D E S IR A B LE M E D IA N S A LA R Y , B Y G E N D E R , E U R /Y E A R 2 1 M a le F e m a le
0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t Q A / T e s t in g H R / R e c r u it in g
1 1 0 0 0 0
8 4 0 0 0
8 0 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
6 6 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 0
5 6 4 0 5
5 1 5 0 0
6 2 5 0 0
5 0 0 0 0
4 9 0 0 0
4 5 0 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
3 5 5 0 0
2 5 0 0 0
3 5 0 0 0
3 4 6 6 7
3 2 5 0 0
3 6 0 0 0
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
C o m p e n s a t i o n s
a n d B e n e f i t s
20 25 FIN A N C IA L B O N U S E S , % Fin a n c ia l c o m p e n sa tio n s a n d b e n e fits re m a in a ke y fa c to r in re te n tio n
— b u t th e p ic tu re is fa r fro m p e rfe c t.
Th e m o st c o m m o n p e rks th is y e a r a re still p a id sic k le a ve , a n n u a l
b o n u se s, a n d p a id p a re n tin g le a ve . H o w e ve r, th e ir a va ila b ility h a s
d e c lin e d c o m p a re d to 20 24:
P a id sic k le a ve : n o w 41% in th e EU a n d 44% o u tsid e th e EU , d o w n fro m
46% in b o th re g io n s la st y e a r.
A n n u a l b o n u se s: d ro p p e d sh a rp ly to 27% in th e EU a n d 18% in n o n -EU
c o u n trie s (p re vio u sly 46% a n d 29% ).
P a id p a re n tin g le a ve : 19% EU , 11% n o n -EU (vs. 21% a n d 9% in 20 24).
W h a t sta n d s o u t is th e g ro w in g n u m b e r o f c o m p a n ie s o ffe rin g n o
fin a n c ia l b o n u se s a t a ll — 34% in th e EU a n d 36% in n o n -EU , c o m p a re d
to 27% a n d 32% la st y e a r.
2 2 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % P a id s ic k le a v e N o fi n a n c ia l b o n u s e s A n n u a l b o n u s P a id p a r e n t in g le a v e E x t r a p a y m e n t f o r o v e r t im e P r o je c t b o n u s N o fi n a n c ia l b o n u s e s m e a n in g f u l t o m e S t o c k o r O p t io n s Q u a r t e r ly b o n u s P r o fi t s h a r e P e r c e n t a g e o f s a le s M o n t h ly b o n u s R o y a lt y
41%
44%
34%
36%
27%
18%
19%
11%
10%
11%
10%
8%
9%
9%
8%
2%
5%
6%
5%
2%
2%
1%
2%
5%
2%
1%
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
C o m p e n s a t i o n s
a n d B e n e f i t s
20 25 N O FIN A N C IA L B O N U S E S , % 2 3 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % H e a lth in s u r a n c e / M e d ic a l C a r e / D e n ta l C a r e S p o r ts / G y m in th e o ffi c e C o r p o r a te e v e n ts F u n d in g fo r fo r e ig n la n g u a g e c la s s e s C o o l o ffi c e R e lo c a tio n s u p p o r t F u n d in g fo r e x te r n a l e d u c a tio n / tr a in in g / c o u r s e s S ta r te r P a c k s (s o u v e n ir /m e r c h a n d is e k its ) P a y m e n t fo r p a r tic ip a tio n in c o n fe r e n c e s F r e e m e a ls in th e o ffi c e H o m e o ffi c e s u p p o r t G ifts fo r b ir th d a y s , w e d d in g s E x tr a v a c a tio n d a y s N o b o n u s e s a t th e c o m p a n y E x c e lle n t te c h n ic a l s u p p o r t O u ts id e c o r p o r a te e v e n ts a t r e s o r ts A n n iv e r s a r y g ift C o m p a n y /p r o je c t a n n iv e r s a r y g ift P a r tia l c o m p e n s a tio n fo r m e a ls a t th e o ffi c e T h e r e a r e n o s ig n ifi c a n t b o n u s e s fo r m e O r g a n iz a tio n o f in te r n a l e d u c a tio n T r a n s p o r t p a s s L o y a lty p r o g r a m s a n d d is c o u n t c a r d s fo r c o m p a n y e m p lo y e e s C o r p o r a te s m a r tp h o n e fo r p e r s o n a l u s e T h e o p p o r tu n ity to g o to s a b b a tic a l T a x c o m p e n s a tio n fo r c o n tr a c to r s / s e lf-e m p lo y e d A c c o u n tin g fo r c o n tr a c to r s / s e lf-e m p lo y e d In te r e s t-fr e e lo a n s
4 3 %
3 7 %
3 1 %
2 3 %
3 1 %
2 5 %
2 6 %
3 1 %
2 4 %
2 1 %
2 2 %
1 6 %
2 2 %
1 9 %
2 1 %
1 9 %
1 9 %
1 3 %
1 9 %
1 8 %
1 9 %
1 3 %
1 8 %
2 3 %
1 8 %
1 1 %
1 6 %
2 1 %
1 5 %
1 5 %
1 4 %
1 4 %
1 4 %
1 9 %
1 3 %
1 4 %
1 2 %
3 %
1 2 %
1 3 %
1 1 %
1 3 %
1 1 %
3 %
1 0 %
7 %
7 %
3 %
7 %
6 %
5 %
1 5 %
4 %
1 0 %
3 %
3 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
C o m p e n s a t i o n s
a n d B e n e f i t s
N o n -fin a n c ia l p e rks c o n tin u e to sh a p e e m p lo y e e sa tisfa c tio n — b u t th e
h ie ra rc h y o f b e n e fits is sh iftin g .
Th e m o st c o m m o n o p tio n s in 20 25 a re :
H e a lth in su ra n c e (m e d ic a l/d e n ta l c a re ): 43% in th e EU , 37% in n o n -EU ,
slig h tly d o w n fro m la st y e a r’s 48% a n d 43% .
S p o rts o r g y m a c c e ss in th e o ffic e : 31% EU , 23% n o n -EU (vs. 29% a n d
23% in 20 24).
C o rp o ra te e ve n ts: 31% EU , 25% n o n -EU , u p slig h tly fro m 33% a n d 24%
p re vio u sly .
Fu n d in g fo r la n g u a g e c la sse s: 26% EU , 31% n o n -EU , sim ila r to la st
y e a r’s 30 % a n d 34% .
C o o l o ffic e p e rks: 24% EU , 21% n o n -EU , d o w n fro m 26% a n d 20 % .
“I love m y job, but because m y com pany operates internationally, I’m technically
classified as a contractor, even though internally I’m treated as a full-tim e salaried
em ployee. As a result, I m iss out on benefits — and I w ish I could at least receive som e
form of tax com pensation.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 2 4
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
e N P S – Em p lo ye e N e t P ro m o te r S c o re . N P S sta n d s fo r N e t P ro m o te r
S c o re , a m e tric u se d in c u sto m e r e xp e rie n c e p ro g ra m m e s. N P S
m e a su re s th e lo ya lty o f c u sto m e rs to a c o m p a n y. N P S sc o re s a re
m e a su re d w ith a sin g le q u e stio n su rve y a n d re p o rte d w ith a n u m b e r
fro m -10 0 to +10 0 . A h ig h e r sc o re is d e sira b le .
B e lo w , w e ‘ll sh o w th e c o rre la tio n s b e tw e e n e N P S a n d va rio u s o th e r
fa c to rs.
20 25 E N P S A N D Y E A R S IN T H E G A M E S IN D U S T R Y , E U R O P E W e ’re se e in g a d e c lin e in o ve ra ll e N P S in 20 25. Th e c h a rt sh o w in g th e
c o rre la tio n b e tw e e n e N P S a n d y e a rs in th e in d u stry c o n firm s a tre n d
w e ’ve o b se rve d e ve ry y e a r: th e m o st lo y a l e m p lo y e e s a re th o se w h o ’ve
b e e n in th e in d u stry th e lo n g e st. J u n io rs, o n th e o th e r h a n d , sh o w th e
lo w e st — e ve n n e g a tive — e n g a g e m e n t. Th e re a so n s a re c le a r: th e re
a re ve ry fe w o p e n p o sitio n s fo r th e m , it’s h a rd to g e t o n to a stro n g ,
w e ll-e sta b lish e d p ro je c t, a n d th e y ’re th e first to b e la id o ff.
2 5 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0- 5 – 1 0 – 1 5 051 0 le s s t h a n 2 f r o m 3 t o 5 f r o m 6 t o 1 0 1 1 o r m o r e
– 1 2 ,7
– 2 ,9
– 1 ,1
7 ,7
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
“I haven’t had a chance to break into the gam ing industry yet. W ith AI and layoffs, it’s
getting harder and harder — and honestly, I’m not sure I ever w ill. O n top of that, the
num ber of entry-level jobs is… terrible. Practically nothing. N othing at all.”
“I’ve been trying to get a job as a 3D artist for tw o years. I built a portfolio, took
countless courses — even C hatG PT told m e I have a solid background for a junior role.
But it’s all been in vain: not even the sm allest studios respond to m y applications. It’s
as if I’m invisible.”
“I w orked for tw o years at a studio, starting as a junior 3D artist and later becom ing a
m id-level. I w as fired after questioning the lack of funding and salaries (including m y
ow n) and pointing out com pany m issteps that led to financial trouble. The official
reason given for m y dism issal w as “political view s.” I lost m y team connections and, in
a w ay, m y professional identity as a 3D artist.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 20 25 E N P S A C R O S S O V E R T IM E FR E Q U E N C Y , E U R O P E Th e c o rre la tio n b e tw e e n o ve rtim e a n d e N P S is a lw a ys stra ig h tfo rw a rd :
w h e n o ve rtim e is e xc e ssive , e m p lo ye e lo ya lty to th e e m p lo ye r d ro p s.
O c c a sio n a l, re a so n a b le o ve rtim e , h o w e ve r, d o e sn ’t a ffe c t e n g a g e m e n t.
If it’s ra re , n o t th e n o rm , a n d o fte n in itia te d b y e m p lo ye e s th e m se lve s,
th o se e m p lo ye e s te n d to b e th e m o st e n g a g e d .
2 6 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0- 5 – 1 0 – 1 5 – 2 0 051 0 N e v e r 1 – 2 t im e s a y e a r 1 – 2 t im e s a q u a r t e r 1 – 2 t im e s a m o n t h 1 – 2 t im e s a w e e k M o r e t h a n 2 t im e s a w e e k A lm o s t e v e r y d a y , e v e n o n w e e k e n d s
5 ,5
3 ,1
7 ,1
– 1 ,4
– 6 ,7
– 7 ,2
– 1 6 ,2
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
“O ur com pany has alw ays struggled w ith proper pipelines. As product releases get
closer, w e constantly w ork overtim e (w hich is paid), but w ork–life balance is non-
existent. W e’ve had urgent team m eetings at 3 AM and critical w eekend tasks. For one
of our biggest releases, the team w as running on fum es. M anagem ent prom ised that
once w e delivered, everyone w ould get a tw o-w eek m andatory break w here w e could
all rest at the sam e tim e and no one w ould bother us. They kept that prom ise — but
the tim e off w as taken from our regular annual leave, not in addition to it. So,
essentially, they m ade us use our vacation days at a random , unplanned tim e. And
then they threw us a pizza party.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 20 25 E N P S B Y C O O P E R A T IO N FO R M A T, E U R O P E Th is ye a r’s c h a rt o n th e c o rre la tio n b e tw e e n e N P S a n d w o rk fo rm a t
sh o w s th e sa m e tre n d a s b e fo re : h y b rid te a m s re m a in th e m o st
e n g a g e d , w ith a n e N P S o f +4.3, th o u g h th is is a ste e p d ro p fro m +15.9 in
20 24. R e m o te e m p lo ye e s n o w re p o rt a n e g a tive e N P S o f – 2.6, d o w n fro m
+7.7 la st ye a r. O n -site e m p lo ye e s re m a in th e le a st e n g a g e d , w ith e N P S
p lu n g in g fro m +8.1 in 20 24 to – 6.2 in 20 25. O ve ra ll, e N P S sc o re s h a ve
d ro p p e d sh a rp ly a c ro ss a ll fo rm a ts — a sig n th a t th e b ro a d e r se n se o f
w e ll-b e in g in th e in d u stry is fa d in g .
“W hen I took this job, w e agreed on a hybrid m odel — three days on-site, tw o days
rem ote. But due to som e corporate nonsense over hardw are standards, I ended up
w ith a full desktop tow er instead of a laptop. W hen I raised this w ith m y m anager, I
w as jokingly told I could take the PC hom e on m y rem ote days, and that m aybe they’d
sort it out eventually. W ell, it’s been a year and a half, and I still have the sam e
desktop.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 2 7 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0- 2 – 4 – 6 – 80246 R e m o t e O n – s it e H y b r id
– 2 ,6
– 6 ,2
4 ,3
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
20 25 E N P S B Y FIN A N C IA L B O N U S E S , E U R O P E W h ile b o n u s p ro g ra m s still d rive e n g a g e m e n t, th e ir e m o tio n a l im p a c t is
w e a ke n in g ye a r o ve r ye a r. Th e g a p b e tw e e n e m p lo ye e s w h o re c e ive
p ro fit-sh a rin g (+43.2) a n d th o se w ith n o fin a n c ia l re c o g n itio n (– 28.3) n o w
e xc e e d s 70 p o in ts — w id e r th a n e ve r. C o m p a n ie s th a t d o n ’t a d a p t th e ir
in c e n tive stru c tu re s risk n o t ju st d issa tisfa c tio n , b u t a se rio u s d e c lin e in
te a m lo ya lty a n d re te n tio n .
2 8 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0 – 2 0 – 4 0 02 0 4 0 6 0 P r o fi t s h a r e M o n t h ly b o n u s P r o je c t b o n u s R o y a lt y S t o c k o r O p t io n s A n n u a l b o n u s P a id p a r e n t in g le a v e E x t r a p a y m e n t f o r o v e r t im e P a id s ic k le a v e P e r c e n t a g e o f s a le s Q u a r t e r ly b o n u s N o fi n a n c ia l b o n u s e s
4 3 ,2
3 4 ,3
3 2 ,3
2 8 ,6
2 7 ,6
2 1 ,4
1 9 ,6
1 3 ,0
1 0 ,0
5 ,9
1 ,6
– 2 8 ,3
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
20 25 E N P S B Y N O N -FIN A N C IA L B O N U S E S , E U R O P E N o n -fin a n c ia l p e rks c o n tin u e to in flu e n c e e m p lo ye e e n g a g e m e n t in
20 25, b u t th e ir o ve ra ll im p a c t h a s d e c lin e d a c ro ss n e a rly a ll c a te g o rie s
— in so m e c a se s q u ite su b sta n tia lly.
2 9 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0 -2 0 -4 0 02 0 4 0 6 0 In t e r e s t -fr e e lo a n s E x c e lle n t t e c h n ic a l s u p p o r t P a y m e n t fo r p a r t ic ip a t io n in c o n fe r e n c e s G ift s fo r b ir t h d a y s , w e d d in g s C o m p a n y / p r o je c t a n n iv e r s a r y g ift O u t s id e c o r p o r a t e e v e n t s a t r e s o r t s E x t r a v a c a t io n d a y s C o o l o ffi c e R e lo c a t io n s u p p o r t O r g a n iz a t io n o f in t e r n a l e d u c a t io n C o r p o r a t e s m a r t p h o n e fo r p e r s o n a l u s e L o y a lt y p r o g r a m s a n d d is c o u n t c a r d s fo r c o m p a n y e m p lo y e e s F u n d in g fo r e x t e r n a l e d u c a t io n / t r a in in g / c o u r s e s A c c o u n t in g fo r c o n t r a c t o r s / s e lf-e m p lo y e d A n n iv e r s a r y g ift C o r p o r a t e e v e n t s S t a r t e r P a c k s (s o u v e n ir / m e r c h a n d is e k it s ) H o m e o ffi c e s u p p o r t C o m p a n y a p a r t m e n t T a x c o m p e n s a t io n fo r c o n t r a c t o r s / s e lf-e m p lo y e d F u n d in g fo r fo r e ig n la n g u a g e c la s s e s F r e e m e a ls in t h e o ffi c e S p o r t s / G y m in t h e o ffi c e P a r t ia l c o m p e n s a t io n fo r m e a ls a t t h e o ffi c e T h e o p p o r t u n it y t o g o t o s a b b a t ic a l H e a lt h in s u r a n c e / M e d ic a l C a r e / D e n t a l C a r e T h e r e a r e n o s ig n ifi c a n t b o n u s e s fo r m e T r a n s p o r t p a s s Im a fr e e la n c e r a n d d o n t h a v e b o n u s e s N o b o n u s e s a t t h e c o m p a n y
4 7 ,2
3 8 ,4
3 6 ,0
3 5 ,2
3 0 ,3
2 9 ,3
2 8 ,8
2 6 ,0
2 5 ,2
2 5 ,2
2 4 ,6
2 4 ,2
2 4 ,2
2 2 ,7
2 2 ,4
2 2 ,2
2 1 ,3
1 8 ,5
1 8 ,2
1 7 ,0
1 6 ,3
1 5 ,1
1 2 ,6
1 1 ,1
9 ,0
7 ,1
-4 ,6
-8 ,9
-2 7 ,5
-3 1 ,8
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
e N P S :
W h a t M a k e s E m p l o y e e s
L o y a l & E n g a g e d
Th e m o st a p p re c ia te d p e rks re m a in th e sa m e , th o u g h th e ir e N P S
e ffe c t h a s sh ifte d . In te re st-fre e lo a n s to p th e list w ith a n im p re ssive
+47.2, u p fro m +37.8 in 20 24, su g g e stin g g ro w in g re le va n c e a m id risin g
fin a n c ia l stre ss. H o w e ve r, m o st o th e r to p p e rks h a ve lo st g ro u n d . Fo r
e xa m p le , te c h n ic a l su p p o rt d ro p p e d fro m +43.5 to +38.4, a n d
c o n fe re n c e fu n d in g d e c lin e d fro m +39.5 to +36.0 .
Tra d itio n a l b e n e fits like g ifts fo r b irth d a ys a n d w e d d in g s (+35.2) a n d
c o m p a n y a n n ive rsa ry p re se n ts (+30 .3) c o n tin u e to g e n e ra te p o sitive
e n g a g e m e n t, b u t a lm o st a ll h a ve se e n m o d e st d e c re a se s. P e rks
su c h a s e xtra va c a tio n d a ys (+28.8 vs. +32.7), c o rp o ra te e ve n ts (+22.2
vs. +32.3), a n d c o o l o ffic e s (+26 vs. +33.5) re fle c t th is d o w n w a rd tre n d .
Eve n h ig h ly p e rso n a lize d su p p o rt h a s w e a ke n e d in in flu e n c e :
in te rn a l e d u c a tio n p ro g ra m s d ro p p e d fro m +33.3 to +25.2, a n d
fo re ig n la n g u a g e fu n d in g fe ll fro m +24.3 to +16.3. P e rks th a t o n c e h a d
p re m iu m e m o tio n a l va lu e — like sa b b a tic a l o p p o rtu n itie s (+9 vs.
+37.7) a n d fre e m e a ls a t th e o ffic e (+15.1 vs. +25.9) — h a ve lo st m o re
th a n h a lf th e ir im p a c t.
20 25 E N P S B Y M O N E T IZ A T IO N T Y P E , E U R O P E M o n e tiza tio n m o d e ls w ith h ig h e r a ve ra g e sa la rie s (e .g . h y b rid ,
fre e m iu m ) te n d to sh o w h ig h e r e N P S , w h ile lo w e r-p a id se g m e n ts (e .g .
W e b 3, D LC s) se e lo w e r e n g a g e m e n t — h in tin g a t a lin k b e tw e e n
fin a n c ia l su c c e ss a n d te a m sa tisfa c tio n .
3 0 2 0 2 5 E u r o p e e N P S
0 – 1 0 – 2 0 – 3 0 01 0 2 0 H y b r id A d s m o n e t iz a t io n S u b s c r ip t io n F r e e – t o – p la y / In – a p p p u r c h a s e s A p p le A r c a d e / G o o g le p la y p a s s P a id / P r e m iu m F r e e m iu m D L C s / E x p a n s io n s W e b 3
1 6 ,7
5 ,2
2 ,3
0 ,2
– 5 ,6
– 6 ,5
– 9 ,1
– 2 2 ,4
– 2 8 ,9
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
A I A d o p t i o n
Th e sh a re o f p ro fe ssio n a ls w h o u se A I re g u la rly a n d fin d it h e lp fu l h a s
n e a rly d o u b le d in th e p a st tw o ye a rs, re a c h in g 63% in th e EU a n d 69% in
n o n -EU re g io n s.
A t th e sa m e tim e , th e n u m b e r o f th o se w h o h a ve n e ve r u se d A I a n d
d o n ’t p la n to h a s d ro p p e d b y m o re th a n a th ird sin c e 20 23.
S ke p tic ism to w a rd A I c o n tin u e s to d e c lin e , a n d th e te c h n o lo g y is
in c re a sin g ly vie w e d a s a p ra c tic a l to o l ra th e r th a n a th re a t.
A I U S A G E , E U +U K +C H 20 23– 20 25 (% ) 3 1 2 0 2 5 E U + U K + C H , % 2 0 2 4 E U + U K + C H , % 2 0 2 3 E U + U K + C H , %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % I u s e A I in m y w o r k a n d fi n d it h e lp f u l I t r ie d A I, b u t I d id n ‘t fi n d it h e lp f u l I h a v e n e v e r t r ie d A I in m y w o r k , b u t I h a v e p la n s t o t r y I d o n ‘t u s e A I in m y w o r k a n d I d o n ‘t h a v e p la n s t o u s e it
6 3 %
5 1 %
3 2 %
1 6 %
1 8 %
1 4 %
6 %
9 %
2 3 %
1 5 %
2 1 %
2 0 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m A I U S A G E , N O N -E U 20 23– 20 25 (% )
A I A d o p t i o n
C h a tG P T M e
3 2 2 0 2 5 N o n -E U , % 2 0 2 4 N o n -E U , % 2 0 2 3 N o n -E U , %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % I u s e A I in m y w o r k a n d fi n d it h e lp f u l I t r ie d A I, b u t I d id n ‘t fi n d it h e lp f u l I h a v e n e v e r t r ie d A I in m y w o r k , b u t I h a v e p la n s t o t r y I d o n ‘t u s e A I in m y w o r k a n d I d o n ‘t h a v e p la n s t o u s e it
6 9 %
5 6 %
3 5 %
1 6 %
2 0 %
1 9 %
7 %
9 %
1 8 %
9 %
1 5 %
2 2 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
A I A d o p t i o n
20 25 A I A D O P T IO N B Y P R O FE S S IO N , E U R O P E , % A I a d o p tio n is h ig h e st a m o n g a n a ly tic s (97% ), C -le ve l e xe c u tive s (90 % ),
a n d H R (89% ), w h e re a u to m a tio n a n d stra te g ic p la n n in g p la y a m a jo r
ro le .
M id -le ve l a d o p tio n is se e n in b u sin e ss d e ve lo p m e n t (79% ), p ro d u c tio n
(78% ), a n d d e ve lo p e rs (69% ) — re fle c tin g g ro w in g in te g ra tio n o f A I in to
m a n a g e m e n t a n d te c h n ic a l w o rkflo w s.
Lo w e st e n g a g e m e n t c o m e s fro m a rt (43% ) a n d Q A (37% ), w h e re u p to 24%
d o n ’t p la n to u se A I a t a ll. Th e se ro le s m a y fa c e b a rrie rs re la te d to tru st,
to o l m a tu rity, o r c re a tive in te g rity.
3 3 I u s e A I in m y w o r k a n d fi n d it h e lp f u l, % I d o n ’t u s e A I a n d d o n ’t p la n t o , %
0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % 1 0 0 % A n a ly t ic s T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P H R / R e c r u it in g M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n Q A / T e s t in g
9 7 %
3 %
9 0 %
1 %
8 9 %
8 4 %
5 %
7 9 %
8 %
7 8 %
5 %
6 9 %
1 2 %
6 5 %
1 0 %
6 3 %
1 1 %
4 3 %
2 3 %
3 7 %
2 4 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
A I A d o p t i o n
A rtu r D a vyd e n ko
Senior Product M arketing
M anager at M eta
“Before sharing m y point of view , I w ant to add
im portant context:
Europe faced significant challenges in 2023-2024:
layoffs in m ajor gam ing com panies, and the
closure of about 4% of sm all gam e studios in 2022-
2023. Europeans had a lot on their shoulders to dive
deep into this new technology.
Zoom ing in on layoffs, about 75% of job cuts w ere
developers, artists/designers, and Q A. I em pathize
w ith those laid off due to “resource optim izations”
w ho m ight not feel com fortable leveraging AI.
Zoom ing out to AI m odels (LLM , G enerative AI), their
capabilities have im proved in m em ory (task size)
and accuracy (few er m istakes or “hallucinations”):
M em ory grew dram atically: 8K token w indow in
2023, 32K in 2024, and 100K+ now . This m eans AI
can now solve com plex tasks that take days vs
short (m inutes-long) tasks in 2023.
H allucination rates dropped from about 30% in
2023 to around 15% now .
W ith that in m ind, here are m y observations from the
num bers:
1. 65% of gam edev professionals in Europe have tried
AI m ultiple tim es over the last 2.5 years and now fully
leverage it in their core jobs. The 80% leap in AI
adoption in 2024 brought m any new users in
M anagem ent, Analytics, H R/Recruiting, and M arketing.
This m akes sense as they m ostly use LLM and basic
G enAI capabilities, w hich have grow n dram atically
since 2023. Q A/Testing specialists stand out w ith the
highest share (24% ) not using or planning to use AI.
M anual testers w ere heavily im pacted by layoffs,
adding a psychological barrier.
2. Am ong D esigners and Artists, 23% are not using AI.
This likely reflects junior and m id-level specialists
affected by “resource optim izations.” W hile G enAI
m odels have im proved in basic program m ing (Llam a 3,
AI C opilot, C laude 3), 2D art (M idjourney, D ALL-E,
Stable D iffusion), and U I design (D ALL-E, Firefly), there
rem ains a big gap in generating high-quality in-gam e
U X and 2D /3D m odels w ith anim ations (hence only 43%
of artists found AI helpful after using it).”
3 4
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
A I A d o p t i o n
A rtu r D a vyd e n ko
Senior Product M arketing
M anager at M eta
“3. If w e look at the business side, m any VC -backed
startups aggressively m arketed their AI solutions (I
m anually checked m any), but production-quality AI
m odels have im proved slow er com pared to
m anagem ent, m arketing, analytics, and support. This
is changing, but it rem ains to be seen if AI can
generate great 3D characters w ith rigs and
anim ations by 2026 or 2030. H ow ever, based on m y
experience at M eta and conversations w ith gam ing
founders, I believe project m anagem ent, developm ent
and program m ing w ill dram atically change by AI in
2026-2027.
4. Lastly, M arketing has been AI-pow ered in its
cam paign m anagem ent, targeting, ad ranking,
conversion optim ization, m easurem ent, and static ad
creatives. The next steps are autom ation of video,
playable ad creative production, and om nichannel
m easurem ent.
In sum m ary, AI adoption w ill continue to grow am ong
those w ho w ant to stay em ployed in gam ing, as in
other content-heavy industries. It’s business, nothing
personal. ©
Before sending m y com m ent, I had AI check the
gram m ar and double-check the num bers.”
“I sw itched careers for m any reasons — alm ost no stability, no fair w ages. N ow AI is
sucking the soul out of art, and I w ant no part of it. It feels like a corpse being
puppeteered by people w ith no creativity and no desire to develop any. They w ant
quick fixes, and corporations sold them AI as the answ er.”
“As the only non-H ungarian on the team , a lot of people use AI just to talk to m e 😀
Som etim es I can tell w hen they’ve had C hatG PT w rite their reply (it loves em dashes
w ay m ore than m ost people — ) instead of just answ ering them selves.”
“The paradox today is that, thanks to AI, m any people w ho lack real talent now
appear better — but their actual skill hasn’t im proved. It just m akes it harder to tell
the difference.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 3 5
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
W o r k A r r a n g e m e n t T r e n d s
a n d E m p l o y m e n t T y p e s
20 25 E U +U K +C H V S N O N -E U , B Y A C T U A L J O B FO R M A T, % R e m o te w o rk re m a in s th e d o m in a n t fo rm a t a c ro ss Eu ro p e — e sp e c ia lly
o u tsid e th e EU , w h e re in fra stru c tu re , o u tso u rc in g m o d e ls, a n d c o st-
e ffic ie n c y m a y m a ke re m o te -first stra te g ie s m o re via b le . M e a n w h ile ,
EU -b a se d te a m s a re m o re like ly to m a in ta in h y b rid se tu p s, b le n d in g
fle xib ility w ith in -p e rso n c o o rd in a tio n .
20 25 E U +U K +C H V S N O N -E U , B Y P R E FE R R E D J O B FO R M A T, % P re fe rre d w o rk fo rm a ts a c ro ss Eu ro p e sh o w a g ro w in g d e m a n d fo r
fle xib ility — b u t a n o tic e a b le m ism a tc h re m a in s b e tw e e n w h a t
p ro fe ssio n a ls w a n t a n d w h a t th e y a c tu a lly g e t.
3 6 R e m o t e O n – s it e H y b r id
E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U ) 0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 %
5 3 ,3 4 %
1 3 ,2 2 %
3 3 ,4 4 %
7 9 ,2 4 %
6 ,1 9 % 1 4 ,5 7 % R e m o t e O n – s it e H y b r id
E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U ) 0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 %
4 6 ,3 5 %
6 ,6 9 %
4 6 ,9 7 %
5 9 ,4 8 %
6 ,1 9 %
3 4 ,3 3 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
W o r k A r r a n g e m e n t T r e n d s
a n d E m p l o y m e n t T y p e s
W h o f e e ls a t r is k o f b e in g la id o f f ?
W e a ske d re sp o n d e n ts to ra te th e like lih o o d o f b e in g a ffe c te d b y
la yo ffs o ve r th e n e xt ye a r o n a five -p o in t sc a le . Le t’s ta ke a lo o k a t w h o
fe e ls m o re vu ln e ra b le d u rin g th is p e rio d o f m a rke t tu rb u le n c e .
20 25 E U R O P E , LIK E LIH O O D O F B E IN G LA ID O FF IN T H E C O M IN G Y E A R ,
S C A LE 0 – 5
O n a ve ra g e , in d u stry p ro fe ssio n a ls ra te th e like lih o o d o f b e in g la id o ff
in th e n e xt ye a r a t 2.3 o u t o f 5. Th is sc o re is h ig h e r a m o n g so u n d
sp e c ia lists, P R /b ra n d p ro fe ssio n a ls, c o m m u n ity a n d su p p o rt sta ff, a n d
a rtists.
A lso , w e a ske d re sp o n d e n ts to ra te th e ir se n se o f jo b se c u rity in th e
g a m e s in d u stry rig h t n o w o n a 5-p o in t sc a le , w h e re 0 m e a n s “ve ry
in se c u re ” a n d 5 m e a n s “ve ry se c u re .”
3 7 012345 S o u n d P R / E m p lo y e r B r a n d / M e d ia / B lo g s C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t A r t / D e s ig n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n Q A / T e s t in g G a m e D e s ig n B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P H R / R e c r u it in g A n a ly t ic s F o u n d e r / C o – f o u n d e r
3 ,4 0
3 ,3 0
3 ,0 0
2 ,7 6
2 ,6 1
2 ,5 7
2 ,5 4
2 ,4 8
2 ,4 7
2 ,3 8
2 ,2 6
1 ,8 5
1 ,7 1
1 ,2 5
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
W o r k A r r a n g e m e n t T r e n d s
a n d E m p l o y m e n t T y p e s
20 25 E U R O P E , H O W S A FE D O Y O U FE E L IN T H E G A M IN G IN D U S T R Y
R IG H T N O W , B Y LE V E LS , A V E R A G E , S C A LE 0 – 5
20 25 E U R O P E , H O W S A FE D O Y O U FE E L IN T H E G A M IN G IN D U S T R Y
R IG H T N O W , B Y P R O FE S S IO N , A V E R A G E , S C A LE 0 – 5
3 8 012345 T r a in e e Ju n io r M id d le S e n io r T e a m L e a d E x p e r t / T o p / C h ie f / H e a d / V P
0 ,7 5
1 ,9 7
2 ,1 4
2 ,2 3
2 ,3 2
2 ,5 0 012345 A n a ly t ic s H R / R e c r u it in g T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P F o u n d e r / C o – f o u n d e r S o u n d P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n P R / E m p lo y e r B r a n d / M e d ia / B lo g s P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t Q A / T e s t in g G a m e D e s ig n B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s A r t / D e s ig n
2 ,9 7
2 ,7 5
2 ,6 5
2 ,4 1
2 ,4 0
2 ,3 8
2 ,3 8
2 ,3 6
2 ,3 3
2 ,1 9
2 ,0 2
2 ,0 1
2 ,0 0
1 ,8 4
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
W o r k A r r a n g e m e n t T r e n d s
a n d E m p l o y m e n t T y p e s
In 20 25, A n a ly tic s, H R /R e c ru itin g , a n d To p M a n a g e m e n t re p o rt th e
h ig h e st se n se o f jo b se c u rity, in d ic a tin g th e se ro le s a re se e n a s m o re
sta b le . C o n ve rse ly, c re a tive p ro fe ssio n s like A rt/D e sig n a n d G a m e
D e sig n fe e l le ss se c u re , w ith th e lo w e st sa fe ty ra tin g s.
“F@ #k layoffs! F@ #k toxic w orkplaces! F@ #k job instability in gam ing and m onths of
unem ploym ent!”
“I’ve felt really insecure about the gam es industry for the past tw o to three years and
have been thinking about sw itching to a different field.”
“The past three years have been rough. I got an offer from a m ajor studio and joined,
but m y visa w as denied and I had to give up the job. Then I landed an offer from an
established studio in Europe and relocated, only for the com pany’s investors to pull
out — and I lost that job too. It’s been over a year now , and I’m still looking for w ork.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 3 9
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
20 25 E U R O P E , H A V E Y O U C H A N G E D J O B S IN T H E P A S T Y E A R ? In 20 25, th e sh a re o f p ro fe ssio n a ls w h o c h a n g e d jo b s vo lu n ta rily
d ro p p e d n o tic e a b ly (17.5% vs. 23.2% in 20 24), su g g e stin g re d u c e d m o b ility
a n d fe w e r a ttra c tive o p p o rtu n itie s. A t th e sa m e tim e , in vo lu n ta ry
u n e m p lo y m e n t in c re a se d , w ith 10 .4% o f re sp o n d e n ts la id o ff a n d still
jo b le ss — u p fro m 6.2% th e p re vio u s ye a r.
20 25 E U R O P E , C H A N G E D J O B IN P A S T Y E A R , B Y LE V E L, % J u n io r e m p lo ye e s e xp e rie n c e d g re a te r in sta b ility : o n ly 43% re m a in e d in
th e sa m e jo b (vs. 51% in 20 24), 13% a re c u rre n tly u n e m p lo ye d a fte r la yo ffs
(u p fro m 9% in 20 24).
4 0
7%5%3% N o .
5 5 . 8 %
Y e s , b y m y o w n c h o i c e .
1 7 . 5 %
Y e s , I w a s l a i d o ff a n d f o u n d a n e w o n e .
1 6 . 3 %
Y e s , I w a s l a i d o ff a n d I a m c u r r e n t l y u n e m p l o y e d .
1 0 . 4 % NoYes, I was laid o ff and found a new one. Yes, by my own choice.Yes, I was laid o ff and I am currently unemployed.
0%20%40%60%80%100%JuniorMiddleSenior Team Lead Expert/Top/Chief/Head/VP
43% 16% 27% 14%
50% 17% 17% 16%
51% 21% 16% 12%
63% 15% 17%
75% 15%
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
20 25 E U R O P E , C H A N G E D J O B IN P A S T Y E A R , B Y LE V E L, % In 20 25, to p m a n a g e m e n t ro le s b e c a m e sig n ific a n tly m o re sta b le : 77%
d id n o t c h a n g e jo b s (u p fro m 66% ), a n d o n ly 1% re m a in e d u n e m p lo ye d
a fte r a la yo ff (d o w n fro m 4% ).
B y c o n tra st, c re a tive p ro fe ssio n s, e sp e c ia lly A rt/D e sig n a n d G a m e
D e sig n , fa c e d g ro w in g in sta b ility :
A rt/D e sig n h a d th e lo w e st jo b re te n tio n (47% ) a n d th e h ig h e st
u n e m p lo y m e n t ra te p o st-la yo ff (17% , u p fro m 10 % ),
G a m e D e sig n e rs sa w a sh a rp rise in la yo ffs fo llo w e d b y
re e m p lo y m e n t (24% in 20 25 vs. 13% in 20 24), b u t a lso a h ig h e r sh a re
re m a in in g u n e m p lo ye d (11% vs. 8% ).
M e a n w h ile , H R p ro fe ssio n a ls sh o w e d a re c o ve ry : u n e m p lo y m e n t
d ro p p e d to 0 % (fro m 2% ), a n d vo lu n ta ry m o b ility in c re a se d slig h tly,
h in tin g a t sta b iliza tio n a fte r p re vio u s ye a rs’ c u ts.
6%
4 1 N o Yes, I w as laid off and found a new one. Yes, by m y ow n choice. Yes, I w as laid off and I am currently unem ployed.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Top m anagem ent, C-level, VP H R / Recruiting Project M anagem ent / Production G am e D esign Program m ing / D evelopm ent Q A / Testing Art / D esign
77% 16%
62% 14% 24%
49% 24% 15% 12%
57% 12% 21% 10%
53% 15% 17% 15%
53% 18% 16% 13%
47% 20% 16% 17%
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
“I think the saddest part is getting great feedback in every evaluation, know ing I’m
having a positive im pact on the com pany — and still being laid off. The leadership
decided the best w ay to please investors w as to cut 25% of the payroll, even though
the com pany w as still profitable. Just not profitable enough.”
“I w as laid off about tw o w eeks after successfully passing m y trial period =) At first,
they told m e I w as a great professional and they w anted to w ork w ith m e… then tw o
w eeks later, they told m e I w as a great professional — but they couldn’t keep m e
because of layoffs.”
“The com pany I w orked for laid off over 100 people in the past year. The w ay they
handled it w as com pletely w rong — and they did it in three w aves. Each tim e,
transparency dropped even further. Som e people (not m e) took them to court and
w on settlem ents. Personally, I w as relieved to be laid off — they w ere building a toxic
culture.”
“I’m in m y last m onth at the studio, and honestly, it doesn’t look like the studio w ill last
m uch longer. The w hole thing is alm ost com ical. After losing the client for our project,
they laid off the m ost qualified specialists and had the rem aining team w ork on a
gam e w ithout any m arket assessm ent. The result? The “efficient” m anagers now have
an alm ost finished gam e that nobody w ants. M eanw hile, an alternative project w ith
real potential w as scrapped. That’s how it goes.”
“I landed m y dream job, w orking on m y dream project — and then, out of now here, the
com pany decided to dow nsize. Three m onths of living m y dream , and I w as back to
square one.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 20 25 E U R O P E , W H E R E P R O FE S S IO N A LS U S U A LLY S E A R C H FO R A J O B
IN T H E G A M E S IN D U S T R Y , %
4 2 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% LinkedIn Referrals from friends/colleagues InG am e Job O ther job boards Professional com m unities on social m edia Recruiting agencies G lassdoor
87%
63%
50%
43%
30%
18%
14%
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
K e y F a c t o r s W h e n C h o o s in g a N e w E m p lo y e r 20 25 E U R O P E , M O S T IM P O R TA N T FA C TO R S IN C H O O S IN G
A N E W E M P LO Y E R , %
In 20 25, sa la ry le ve l is th e m o st im p o rta n t fa c to r w h e n c h o o sin g a n e w
e m p lo ye r fo r Eu ro p e a n g a m e in d u stry p ro fe ssio n a ls, c ite d b y 87% o f
re sp o n d e n ts. Th is u n d e rsc o re s g ro w in g fin a n c ia l c a u tio n a m id o n g o in g
m a rke t in sta b ility.
W o rk fo rm a t (re m o te /h y b rid /o ffic e ) a n d w o rk-life b a la n c e fo llo w c lo se ly
(59% e a c h ), re fle c tin g a c o n tin u e d d e m a n d fo r fle xib ility a n d p e rso n a l
w e ll-b e in g . B e yo n d b a sic c o n d itio n s, c a n d id a te s a lso va lu e ro le c la rity,
p ro fe ssio n a l d e ve lo p m e n t, a n d c a re e r g ro w th , in d ic a tin g a fo c u s o n
lo n g -te rm fit a n d p ro g re ssio n .
Fa c to rs su c h a s c o m p a n y c u ltu re , fin a n c ia l sta b ility, a n d jo b se c u rity
a re im p o rta n t b u t slig h tly lo w e r in p rio rity, su g g e stin g th a t w h ile
sta b ility m a tte rs, im m e d ia te p e rso n a l a n d c a re e r b e n e fits d rive m o st
d e c isio n s. Tra d itio n a l “so ft” fa c to rs like c o m p a n y m issio n , lo c a tio n , o r
b e n e fits p a c ka g e s ra n k lo w e st.
4 3 0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % 1 0 0 % S a la r y le v e l W o r k f o r m a t (o ffi c e / h y b r id / r e m o t e ) W o r k – lif e b a la n c e R e s p o n s ib ilit ie s a n d s c o p e o f t h e r o le P r o f e s s io n a l d e v e lo p m e n t o p p o r t u n it ie s C a r e e r g r o w t h p r o s p e c t s T e a m a n d c o lle a g u e s C o m p a n y c u lt u r e F in a n c ia l s t a b ilit y o f t h e c o m p a n y Jo b s t a b ilit y / s e c u r it y C o m p a n y r e p u t a t io n / r e v ie w s P r o je c t t y p e & g e n r e / P la t f o r m A lig n m e n t w it h p e r s o n a l v a lu e s E m p lo y e r ’s lo c a t io n P e r k s a n d b e n e fi t s p a c k a g e C o m p a n y m is s io n a n d im p a c t
8 7 %
5 9 %
5 9 %
5 7 %
5 6 %
5 2 %
5 2 %
4 9 %
4 5 %
4 4 %
4 2 %
4 1 %
3 5 %
3 0 %
2 8 %
1 8 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
“Today, salary is seen as a sym bol of stability and a
guarantee of tom orrow w ithin a com pany. W ith
layoffs and studio closures still happening across the
m arket, a steady paycheck has becom e a kind of
safety net in tim es of uncertainty. It’s w hat gives
people a sense of security: at the very least, you know
w hat you’ll be doing tom orrow .
C areer grow th and developm ent have alw ays been,
and rem ain, im portant. But right now , w ith no
guarantees that these opportunities w ill actually
m aterialize, there’s a fear they m ight never com e to
life. As a result, the industry has shifted from a
rom anticized view of w ork tow ard a m ore rational one.
Still, there should alw ays be room for am bition and
inspiration — after all, there are still com panies w illing
and able to offer both: grow th and stability.”
H o w q u ic k ly d o s p e c ia lis t s f in d n e w jo b s ? In 20 25, p ro fe ssio n a ls in th e Eu ro p e a n g a m in g in d u stry fa c e d lo n g e r jo b
se a rc h e s c o m p a re d to 20 24:
O n ly 45.8% fo u n d a n e w jo b w ith in 3 m o n th s (d o w n fro m 55.2% ),
W h ile 15% sp e n t o ve r a ye a r se a rc h in g — n e a rly d o u b le th e sh a re in
20 24 (8.1% ).
4 4
Je le n a K o te lo va
HR M anager,
Hypercell G am es
& HyperVR G am es U p t o 3 m o n t h s
4 5 . 8 %
F r o m 3 t o 6 m o n t h s
2 5 . 2 %
M o r e t h a n 1 y e a r
1 5 %
F r o m 6 m o n t h s t o 1 y e a r
1 4 . 1 %
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
20 25 E U R O P E , T IM E TO FIN D A N E W J O B LA S T Y E A R , B Y LE V E L, % 20 25 E U R O P E , T IM E TO FIN D A N E W J O B LA S T Y E A R , B Y LE V E L, % In 20 25, jo b se a rc h tim e s in c re a se d sig n ific a n tly a c ro ss m o st ro le s a n d
se n io rity le ve ls, w ith th e sh a rp e st d e te rio ra tio n a m o n g ju n io r a n d
c re a tive p ro fe ssio n a ls.
A rt/D e sig n sa w th e m o st d ra m a tic sh ift: o n ly 26% fo u n d w o rk w ith in 3
m o n th s (d o w n fro m 49% in 20 24), w h ile 25% se a rc h e d fo r o ve r a ye a r
(u p fro m 10 % ). S im ila r tre n d s a re se e n in Q A a n d G a m e D e sig n .
J u n io r p ro fe ssio n a ls a re th e m o st a ffe c te d , w ith o n ly 26% fin d in g
jo b s in u n d e r 3 m o n th s (vs. 30 % in 20 24).
4 5
2%4%5% U p to 3 m onths From 3 to 6 m onths From 6 m onths to 1 year M ore than 1 year
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Junior M iddle Senior Team Lead Expert/Top/Chief/H ead/VP
26% 28% 18% 28%
32% 26% 21% 21%
51% 26% 11% 12%
57% 24% 9% 10%
71% 18% 9% U p to 3 m onths From 3 to 6 m onths From 6 m onths to 1 year M ore than 1 year
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Top m anagem ent, C-level, VP H R / Recruiting Project M anagem ent / Production G am e D esign Program m ing / D evelopm ent Q A / Testing Art / D esign
85% 11%
70% 25%
54% 21% 13% 12%
40% 36% 14% 10%
42% 25% 15% 18%
42% 29% 8% 21%
26% 27% 22% 25%
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
“W ithin m y circle of friends and contacts across the industry, I know three people w ho
w ere m ade redundant and lost their housing. Tw o others haven’t been paid in m onths
— and just the other day, one of their com panies w as declared bankrupt. Another
contact has been told he w on’t be paid this m onth, despite already being underpaid
and relying on benefits. I w as m ade redundant m yself and w as lucky enough to find
freelance w ork. But m any of m y friends and colleagues are already talking about
leaving the industry altogether.”
“I’m one of the m any people caught up in the m assive w ave of layoffs in the gam es
industry. I’ve been job hunting for six m onths now , and I’m starting to w onder if there’s
som ething w rong w ith m y C V — I keep getting rejection letters or being ghosted by
em ployers. It’s been an incredibly tough tim e m entally, em otionally, and financially.
Losing m y job has taken a huge toll on m y confidence and self-esteem , and every
rejection just m akes it harder.”
“Before I joined m y last com pany, I had six offers on the table and ended up w orking
there for tw o years. N ow it’s been m ore than six m onths since I w as laid off, and I’m
actively looking for a new role. The situation is the com plete opposite — getting an
offer has becom e exponentially harder. I haven’t received a single one in all this tim e.
I just hope things turn around.”
“Last year I changed jobs, but the search took m e a year and a half. I honestly don’t
rem em ber such a global job m arket crisis since the 1990s.”
“I’ve spent 20 years in the video gam e industry and have now been unem ployed for
tw o and a half years, living on the street. There’s been zero hum anity from gam es
com panies, despite m y skills and experience. Every tim e, I hear: “Sorry, w e decided to
m ove forw ard w ith another candidate.” They could hire m e sim ply to save a person —
but instead, their “other candidates” can easily find w ork, w hile I can’t. I feel like trash
throw n aw ay, like I’ve been retired at 40 w ithout a pension. M y incom e is €0.”
“After tw o years of unpaid w ork building a dem o and starting m y ow n com pany, m y
form er friends staged a hostile takeover of m y shares and ran a sm ear cam paign
against m e. N ow I haven’t been able to find a job for over seven m onths, and I’m on
the verge of losing m y fam ily and hom e.”
“I’ve been laid off five tim es in the past five years — m ost recently just a m onth ago.
I’m losing trust in this industry.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 4 6
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m
J o b C h a n g e
K e y F a c t o r s W h e n C h o o s in g a N e w E m p lo y e r 20 25 E U R O P E , C H A N G E S IN S A LA R Y A N D P O S IT IO N , % 20 25 E U R O P E , C H A N G E S IN S A LA R Y A N D P O S IT IO N , B Y LE V E L, % 4 7 G o t a r a i s e o r p r o m o t i o n
3 2 . 6 %
T o o k a l o w e r r o l e o r p a y
2 7 . 7 %
R o l e a n d s a l a r y s t a y e d t h e s a m e
2 6 . 7 %
C h a n g e d fi e l d / i n d u s t r y
1 3 . 1 % G ot a raise or prom otion Took a low er role or pay Stayed about the sam e Changed field/industry
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Team Lead Expert/Top/Chief/H ead/VP Senior M iddle Junior
31% 30% 30% 9%
34% 23% 33% 10%
36% 28% 27% 9%
33% 28% 24% 15%
13% 23% 26% 38%
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J o b C h a n g e
20 25 E U R O P E , C H A N G E S IN S A LA R Y A N D P O S IT IO N ,
B Y P R O FE S S IO N , %
13% e n d e d u p le a vin g th e g a m e s in d u stry a lto g e th e r (vs. 10 % a ye a r
a g o ).
J u n io r sp e c ia lists w e re o n c e a g a in th e g ro u p m o st a ffe c te d b y
in d u stry e xits — th is ye a r, a strikin g 38% o f th e m sw itc h e d fie ld s a fte r
a la yo ff o r jo b c h a n g e (u p fro m 31% in 20 24).
R o u g h ly a q u a rte r o f a ll le ve ls re p o rte d sta g n a n t c a re e r c o n d itio n s
p o st-tra n sitio n .
Fo r m id -le ve l a n d se n io r sp e c ia lists, a ro u n d 28% h a d to a c c e p t
w o rse o ffe rs.
O n ly 13% o f ju n io rs e xp e rie n c e d c a re e r g ro w th — a sh a rp d ro p fro m
22% la st ye a r.
In c o n tra st, C -le ve l e xe c u tive s a n d e xp e rts re m a in th e m o st re silie n t
g ro u p : o ve r a th ird re p o rte d im p ro ve d c o n d itio n s, c o m p a re d to m o re
th a n h a lf in 20 24.
R o le s in Q A a n d A rt/D e sig n w e re h it h a rd e st — n e a rly h a lf o f Q A
sp e c ia lists a n d o ve r a th ird o f a rtists fa c e d p a y c u ts o r d e m o tio n s.
M e a n w h ile , p ro fe ssio n a ls in H R a n d M a rke tin g w e re m o re like ly th a n
o th e rs to m a in ta in o r im p ro ve th e ir p o sitio n s.
4 8
6%6% G ot a raise or prom otion Took a low er role or pay Stayed about the sam e Changed field/industry
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Project M anagem ent / Production G am e D esign H R / Recruiting Program m ing / D evelopm ent M arketing / U ser Acquisition Q A / Testing Art / D esign
38% 23% 23% 16%
40% 32% 22%
41% 24% 35%
37% 17% 29% 17%
35% 35% 24%
19% 47% 24% 10%
21% 37% 26% 16%
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J o b C h a n g e
Q A gets stepped on as a m atter of course. W e’re seen as com pletely disposable and
are alw ays the first to be laid off. I tried several tim es to m ove out of Q A, but at the
tim e D EI w as ram ping up and the opportunities alw ays w ent to w om en. All I’ve ever
w anted is to w ork in gam es — and after 13 years, I still can’t get another role, and I
don’t know w hy. I w as m ade redundant w hen m y com pany decided to m ove Q A to
India, so I suspect “financial reasons” are often the excuse for discarding Q A. Serves
m e right for thinking hard w ork w ould m ean career grow th and stability, instead of
being treated as expendable.
Right now , the industry feels alm ost hostile to beginners. Everyone w ants to hire
people w ith 5+ years of experience, but there are no entry-level roles to actually gain
that experience. Even job platform s seem to assum e you’re already em ployed or
recently w ere. If you w ere born at the w rong tim e, breaking into this field feels nearly
im possible.
After 18 years in the gam es industry — six of them as a 3D C haracter Artist — I now find
m yself unem ployed and unable to find w ork. I’m being forced to seriously consider
leaving the industry and changing careers.
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s W h a t W o r k – R e la t e d Is s u e s M a k e U s D is s a t is f ie d
w it h O u r J o b ?
W e a lso a ske d re sp o n d e n ts to ra te h o w like ly th e y a re to vo lu n ta rily
c h a n g e jo b s w ith in th e n e xt six m o n th s, u sin g a five -p o in t sc a le : “O n a
sc a le fro m 0 to 5, h o w like ly a re yo u to c h a n g e jo b s b y yo u r o w n c h o ic e
in th e n e xt 6 m o n th s? 0 – D e fin ite ly n o t, 5 – A lre a d y jo b h u n tin g .” Th e ir
a n sw e rs re ve a le d se ve ra l im p o rta n t tre n d s a n d c o rre la tio n s.
W h a t is s u e s a re m o s t lik e ly to p u s h s o m e o n e to q u it?
R e sp o n d e n ts w h o se le c te d 4 o r 5 o n th e sc a le — th o se m o st like ly to
le a ve — m o st fre q u e n tly c ite d th e fo llo w in g re a so n s:
P ro fe ssio n a l b u rn o u t
U n p ro fe ssio n a l m a n a g e m e n t
La c k o f a p p re c ia tio n
La st ye a r, in ste a d o f “la c k o f a p p re c ia tio n ,” th e to p th re e re a so n s
in c lu d e d “to xic te a m .”
4 9
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J o b C h a n g e
A t th e sa m e tim e , th e m o st c ritic a l fa c to rs d rivin g jo b c h a n g e s — th e
o n e s th a t sc o re d th e h ig h e st in im p a c t — w e re :
In su ffic ie n t su p p o rt fro m m a n a g e m e n t
U n ju st o r u n e th ic a l d ism issa l p ra c tic e s
H a ra ssm e n t
A n y fo rm o f d isc rim in a tio n
5 0
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P ro fe s s io n
Average
Score
Top m anagem ent, C -level, VP 2,53 G am e Design 2,51 Project M anagem ent / Production 2,50 C om m unity / Support 2,47 HR / Recruiting 2,44 Q A / Testing 2,36 Business Developm ent / Sales 2,35 Art / Design 2,23 Program m ing / Developm ent 2,21 Sound2,11 Analytics 2,00 M arketing / User Acquisition 1,89 PR / Em ployer Brand / M edia / Blogs 1,43
R e l o c a t i o n
A c c o rd in g to o u r d a ta , o p e n n e ss o r w illin g n e ss to re lo c a te d o e sn ’t va ry
m u c h b y se n io rity le ve l — o n a ve ra g e , th e o ve ra ll w illin g n e ss sc o re is 2.3
o u t o f 5.
Th e b re a kd o w n b y p ro fe ssio n sh o w s a sim ila r p ic tu re , w ith th e sa m e
a ve ra g e sc o re . Th e o n ly e xc e p tio n is a m o n g m a rke tin g a n d P R /b ra n d
sp e c ia lists, w h o se a ve ra g e w illin g n e ss to re lo c a te is b e lo w 2.
5 1
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R e l o c a t i o n
20 25 P R E FE R R E D R E G IO N S FO R J O B C H A N G E , % In 20 25, re sp o n d e n ts fro m EU c o u n trie s p re d o m in a n tly vie w W e ste rn
Eu ro p e (66% ) a s th e m o st su ita b le re g io n fo r jo b -re la te d re lo c a tio n ,
fo llo w e d b y S o u th e rn (53% ) a n d N o rth e rn Eu ro p e (51% ). B y c o n tra st,
p ro fe ssio n a ls fro m n o n -EU Eu ro p e a n c o u n trie s d e m o n stra te a m o re
d ive rsifie d se t o f p re fe re n c e s: w h ile S o u th e rn Eu ro p e (61% ) is th e to p
c h o ic e , Ea ste rn Eu ro p e (47% ) a n d N o rth A m e ric a (39% ) a re a lso
a ttra c tive o p tio n s.
Th e d a ta su g g e st th a t EU -b a se d re sp o n d e n ts te n d to p rio ritize
p ro xim ity a n d in tra -EU m o b ility, w h ile n o n -EU p ro fe ssio n a ls a re m o re
o p e n to re lo c a tio n b e yo n d Eu ro p e , in c lu d in g N o rth A m e ric a a n d
A u stra lia /N e w Ze a la n d . In te re st in re m o te -o n ly w o rk is c o n siste n tly h ig h
in b o th g ro u p s (45– 44% ), h ig h lig h tin g th e c o n tin u e d im p o rta n c e o f
fle xib le w o rkin g m o d e ls.
5 2 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % W e s t e r n E u r o p e (G e r m a n y , F r a n c e , U K , N e t h e r la n d s , e t c .) S o u t h e r n E u r o p e (S p a in , It a ly , P o r t u g a l, C y p r u s , e t c .) N o r t h e r n E u r o p e (S w e d e n , F in la n d , D e n m a r k , N o r w a y , e t c .) R e m o t e o n ly (in c lu d in g d ig it a l n o m a d lif e s t y le ) E a s t e r n E u r o p e (P o la n d , C z e c h R e p u b lic , R o m a n ia , e t c .) N o r t h A m e r ic a (U S A , C a n a d a ) A u s t r a lia & N e w Z e a la n d A s ia (S in g a p o r e , Ja p a n , S o u t h K o r e a , C h in a , e t c .) M id d le E a s t (U A E , S a u d i A r a b ia , Is r a e l, e t c .) L a t in A m e r ic a (B r a z il, M e x ic o , A r g e n t in a , e t c .)
6 6 %
5 5 %
5 3 %
6 1 %
5 1 %
4 5 %
4 5 %
4 4 %
3 3 %
4 7 %
2 8 %
3 9 %
1 8 %
2 2 %
1 8 %
1 9 %
4 %
6 %
3 %
5 %
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R e l o c a t i o n
O lg a M a kh ro va
HR Director at Tribe
“The Era of Pragm atic Relocation
Im pulsive relocation driven by dream s, new
experiences, or a search for safety is giving w ay to
carefully w eighed relocation decisions backed by
precise calculations. Today’s candidates approach
relocation not w ith an adventurous sparkle in their
eyes, but w ith a calculator in hand – m eticulously
assessing risks and benefits against the backdrop of
a volatile job m arket and global uncertainty.
The desire to change countries for career grow th has
not disappeared, but its nature has changed
dram atically. A few years ago, a job offer abroad w as
seen as a unique professional opportunity that no one
w anted to m iss. Today, how ever, candidates have
becom e far m ore cautious. This shift is influenced
both by individual career goals and am bitions, as w ell
as by labor m arket dynam ics and the geopolitical
environm ent. O f course, the possibility of w orking
rem otely w ithout being tied to a specific location also
has a significant im pact in this regard. Som e
candidates prefer this m ore flexible form at, as it
allow s them either to keep their perm anent place of
residence or, conversely, to travel actively around the
w orld w hile w orking for the com pany that interests
them m ost.
In the past, relocation alm ost alw ays guaranteed an
increase in incom e. H ow ever, w ith the developm ent of
rem ote w ork, salary differences have largely evened
out, reducing the m otivation to m ove abroad. As a
result, w hen receiving and considering relocation
offers today, candidates prim arily focus on
thoroughly assessing the cost of living in another
country to ensure that the proposed com pensation
w ill support their usual standard of living. They pay
close attention to housing rental prices, food costs,
taxes, and everyday expenses.”
5 3
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R e l o c a t i o n
“C yprus, by the w ay, is a vivid exam ple of this
pragm atic approach. O n the one hand, the island is
appealing for its seaside lifestyle, w hile for
candidates from non-EU countries, it also offers the
prom ise of an EU passport in the foreseeable future.
O n the other hand, m any candidates are discouraged
by the high cost of living and the lim ited strength of
the local residence perm it, as C yprus is not part of the
Schengen Area. Those accustom ed to the pace of a
m etropolitan city often fear the steady and
predictable rhythm of island life. For som e, the clim ate
– w ith its hot sum m ers and w indy w inters – is not a
good fit. M ore recently, security concerns in the
M iddle East region have also been added to this list of
considerations.
W ith regard to relocation packages, now it has
becom e increasingly difficult to im press candidates
w ith the benefits they include, as m ost of them are
now perceived as a given. C om prehensive health
insurance, full visa support, assistance w ith relocation
for the entire fam ily, and help w ith placing children in
kindergarten or school are no longer view ed as
attractive extras, but rather as a baseline
requirem ent. For exam ple, in C yprus, the m ajority of
large em ployers offer sim ilar relocation packages and
benefit sets. In this environm ent, w e recom m end that
com panies and team s w e w ork w ith focus on
developing a distinctive EVP (Em ployee Value
Proposition) that goes beyond the standard offering
and addresses the m ore selective expectations of
today’s candidates. As a result, candidates m ay hear
from us about benefits such as exclusive discounts on
goods and services through a corporate privilege
program , financial support for renting or purchasing
housing and cars, assistance w ith fam ily social
integration in C yprus, a corporate cinem a, and m ore.
H ow ever, despite a m ore pragm atic outlook,
candidates rem ain generally open to discussing
relocation opportunities. M oreover, their w illingness to
engage in dialogue does not depend on the seniority
level or professional field. The m ore critical factor is
w hether the em ployer is ready – or not ready – to
relocate certain categories of specialists.”
5 4
O lg a M a kh ro va
HR Director at Tribe
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R e l o c a t i o n
“In practice, w e observe that com panies are m ost
interested in relocating highly skilled IT professionals.
C andidates at the M iddle+ and Senior levels are
generally open to relocation, but given their scarcity
on the m arket, they often set their ow n term s.
Em ployers, in turn, seek to retain them by any m eans
possible, w ith salary increases usually proving to be
the m ost effective tool. As a result, the expectations of
som e candidates rise so quickly that the financial
advantages of staying in their current role outw eigh
any benefits of relocation. Junior specialists, by
contrast, tend to be m ore flexible, but in places such
as C yprus, not all com panies are prepared to bear the
high costs of relocating them .
In sum m ary, relocation is no longer rom anticized or
seen as a goal in itself. The m arket has been changing
significantly. C andidates now w eigh geography
against econom ics, com fort against am bition, and
security against long-term prospects. As a result,
em ployers are com pelled to offer m ore com petitive
conditions. In this context, our role as an H R agency
goes beyond that of a traditional interm ediary: w e act
as consultants w ho can strike the right balance
betw een the expectations of both sides, recognizing
that the cornerstone of a successful relocation
proposal is not the prom ise of a “new and beautiful
life,” but a clear financial and practical plan.”
“I w as relocated to Poland on m y ow n tourist Schengen visa, w ith the com pany
assuring m e it w ould be fine and that I’d easily get a residence perm it, no problem . O f
course, that never happened. I had to m ove to Serbia, a place I never planned or
w anted to go. M y idea w as to get a valid visa in Serbia and then m ove back to
Poland, but m y project ended before I could even apply — I w as still in the m iddle of
preparing the docum ents. A few m onths later, I w as laid off. N ow I’m still in Serbia, still
hoping to m ove to another country, but the chances are getting slim m er.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 5 5
O lg a M a kh ro va
HR Director at Tribe
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F r e e l a n c e a n d P e t P r o j e c t s :
E x t r a I n c o m e B e y o n d
F u l l – T i m e J o b s
W h o w o r k s f r e e la n c e ? 20 25 E U R O P E (E U +U K +C H ) V S N O N -E U , FR E E LA N C E R S B Y LE V E L, % W h a t s h a r e o f p r o f e s s io n a ls in e a c h f ie ld w o r k s
a s f r e e la n c e r s ?
20 25 FR E E LA N C E R S B Y P R O FE S S IO N , % O F TO TA L 5 6 C a n ‘t r a t e m y le v e l T r a in e e / Ju n io r M id d le S e n io r T e a m L e a d E x p e r t / T o p / C h ie f / H e a d / V P
E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U ) 0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 %
5 %
1 0 %
2 9 %
3 4 %
1 3 %
9 %
4 %
9 %
1 9 %
5 7 %
5 % 6 % E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 % 5 % 1 0 % 1 5 % 2 0 % 2 5 % 3 0 % P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P
1 0 %
1 6 %
1 4 %
1 4 %
2 9 %
2 1 %
5 %
9 %
1 3 %
1 8 %
9 %
6 %
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F r e e l a n c e a n d P e t P r o j e c t s :
E x t r a I n c o m e B e y o n d
F u l l – T i m e J o b s
H o w m u c h d o s p e c ia lis t s e a r n a d d it io n a lly
t h r o u g h f r e e la n c e w o r k ?
20 25 FR E E LA N C E M E D IA N S A LA R Y , B Y R O LE , E U R /Y E A R “I don’t think freelancers get talked about enough. I’ve heard so m any stories about
not getting paid for w ork done, facing unfair treatm ent, and dealing w ith crazy w ork
or contract conditions. But w hen you’re left w ith the choice of w orking freelance w ith
the hope of getting paid, or not w orking at all, there’s really no choice but to put up
w ith it. They have the law yers, w e don’t. And in m any cases, w e have no rights to
stand on.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 5 7 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t
2 5 0 0 0
2 1 1 7 4
2 0 5 0 0
1 3 5 0 0
2 2 0 0 0
1 9 5 0 0
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F r e e l a n c e a n d P e t P r o j e c t s :
E x t r a I n c o m e B e y o n d
F u l l – T i m e J o b s
W h o h a s p e t p r o je c t s ? 20 25 E U +U K +C H V S N O N -E U , LE V E LS O F P R O FE S S IO N A LS W IT H P E T
P R O J E C T S , %
20 25 P E T P R O J E C T S A C R O S S P R O FE S S IO N S , % 5 8 C a n ‘t r a t e m y le v e l T r a in e e Ju n io r M id d le S e n io r T e a m L e a d E x p e r t / T o p / C h ie f / H e a d / V P
E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U ) 0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 %
2 % 1 %
6 %
2 2 %
3 6 %
1 6 % 1 7 %
3 % 2 %
5 %
2 7 %
4 2 %
1 0 % 1 1 % E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t G a m e D e s ig n A r t / D e s ig n P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P Q A / T e s t in g
6 0 %
7 8 %
5 9 %
4 8 %
4 4 %
3 6 %
3 5 %
1 4 %
3 4 %
3 6 %
3 3 %
4 7 %
2 0 %
2 1 %
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W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
H o w o f t e n d o s p e c ia lis t s w o r k o v e r t im e ? 20 25 E U R O P E , H O W O FT E N P R O FE S S IO N A LS W O R K O V E R T IM E , % 5 9 0 % 5 % 1 0 % 1 5 % 2 0 % 2 5 % N e v e r 1 – 2 t im e s a y e a r 1 – 2 t im e s a q u a r t e r 1 – 2 t im e s a m o n t h 1 – 2 t im e s a w e e k M o r e t h a n 2 t im e s a w e e k A lm o s t e v e r y d a y , e v e n o n w e e k e n d s
1 7 %
1 3 %
1 6 %
2 2 %
1 7 %
8 %
7 %
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W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
O u r su rve y d a ta sh o w s th a t se n io r p ro fe ssio n a ls in th e g a m e s in d u stry
w o rk o ve rtim e le ss o fte n th a n o th e r le ve ls. Th is c a n b e e xp la in e d b y
se ve ra l fa c to rs: se n io rs h a ve m o re c o n tro l o ve r th e ir w o rklo a d a n d
d e a d lin e s, th e y so lve ta sks m o re e ffic ie n tly th a n ks to e xp e rie n c e , a n d
th e y a re le ss d rive n b y th e n e e d to p ro ve th e m se lve s th ro u g h e xtra
h o u rs. R o u tin e a n d u rg e n t ta sks a re u su a lly h a n d le d b y ju n io rs a n d
m id -le ve ls, w h ile se n io rs fo c u s o n a rc h ite c tu re , stra te g y, a n d
m e n to rin g . C o m p a n ie s a lso te n d to p ro te c t th e ir se n io r ta le n t fro m
b u rn o u t, a s th e y a re h a rd e r to re p la c e . In sh o rt, o ve rtim e o fte n re fle c ts
la c k o f e xp e rie n c e a n d re so u rc e s ra th e r th a n h ig h e r re sp o n sib ility.
W h o t e n d s t o w o r k o v e r t im e t h e m o s t in t h e
in d u s t r y ?
20 25 E U R O P E , O V E R T IM E FR E Q U E N C Y B Y LE V E L, % 6 0 w o r k in g o v e r t im e 1 – 2 t im e s a w e e k a n d m o r e o f t e n , %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % Ju n io r M id d le S e n io r T e a m L e a d E x p e r t / T o p / C h ie f / H e a d / V P
3 0 %
3 6 %
2 5 %
2 9 %
4 3 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
W h o t e n d s t o w o r k o v e r t im e t h e m o s t in t h e
in d u s t r y ?
20 25 E U R O P E , O V E R T IM E FR E Q U E N C Y B Y P R O FE S S IO N , % w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 20 25 V S 20 24 E U R O P E , H O W P R O FE S S IO N A LS FE E L A B O U T O V E R T IM E , % 6 1 w o r k in g o v e r t im e 1 – 2 t im e s a w e e k a n d m o r e o f t e n , %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n A r t / D e s ig n G a m e D e s ig n P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t H R / R e c r u it in g
4 5 %
2 7 %
2 9 %
3 2 %
2 7 %
3 3 %
3 1 % E u r o p e 2 0 2 5 , % E u r o p e 2 0 2 4 , %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % B a d , I r e f u s e t o w o r k o v e r t im e B a d , b u t I w o r k o v e r t im e F in e , t h is is a p a r t o f t h e in d u s t r y It ‘s fi n e if it m a k e s s e n s e T h e c o m p a n y h a s n o p r a c t ic e o f w o r k in g o v e r t im e
9 %
8 %
2 4 %
2 3 %
1 2 %
1 4 %
4 4 %
4 1 %
1 0 %
1 4 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
P e o p le Im p r o v e m e n t P la n w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m A P e o p le Im p ro ve m e n t P la n (P IP ) is a stru c tu re d a p p ro a c h d e sig n e d to
h e lp e m p lo ye e s im p ro ve th e ir p e rfo rm a n c e a n d a d d re ss sp e c ific issu e s.
It ty p ic a lly in vo lve s se ttin g c le a r g o a ls, p ro vid in g su p p o rt a n d
re so u rc e s, a n d m o n ito rin g p ro g re ss o ve r a d e fin e d p e rio d . Th e a im is to
e n h a n c e e m p lo ye e skills, p ro d u c tivity, a n d o ve ra ll c o n trib u tio n to th e
o rg a n iza tio n .
H o w c o m m o n is a P IP in t h e c o m p a n y ? 20 25 E U R O P E , D O Y O U H A V E P E O P LE IM P R O V E M E N T P LA N A T Y O U R
C O M P A N Y ?, %
6 2 N o
5 8 . 9 %
Y e s
3 2 . 6 %
P l a n n i n g t o i m p l e m e n t
8 . 5 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 20 25 E U R O P E , D O Y O U H A V E P E O P LE IM P R O V E M E N T P LA N A T Y O U R
C O M P A N Y ? B Y C O M P A N Y S P E C IA LIZ A T IO N , %
6 3 N o Y e s P la n n in g t o im p le m e n t
0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % 1 0 0 % I w o r k f o r m y s e lf / in d ie t e a m A p r o d u c t c o m p a n y t h a t w o r k s w it h a p u b lis h e r O u t s o u r c in g c o m p a n y A p r o d u c t c o m p a n y t h a t c r e a t e s g a m e s + P u b lis h e r P u b lis h e r N e a r – g a m in g s e r v ic e c o m p a n y
9 7 %
3 %
6 6 %
2 4 %
1 0 %
6 5 %
2 8 %
7 %
5 3 %
3 8 %
9 %
5 2 %
3 2 %
1 6 %
4 6 %
3 9 %
1 5 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 20 24 E U R O P E , D O Y O U H A V E P E O P LE IM P R O V E M E N T P LA N A T Y O U R
C O M P A N Y ? B Y C O M P A N Y S IZ E , %
W e like to se e o n th is c h a rt th a t a s th e c o m p a n y g ro w s, p e o p le
im p ro ve m e n t p la n s a p p e a r m o re fre q u e n tly, sin c e la rg e r te a m s re q u ire
m o re stru c tu re d a p p ro a c h e s to d e ve lo p m e n t a n d p e rfo rm a n c e
m a n a g e m e n t.
“A sad story: the Art D irector, w ho is also a com pany founder, hires people w ithout a
proper interview process — he’s alw ays too busy and doesn’t involve the direct team
or team lead. These hires relocate, but during probation the Art D irector never m akes
tim e for proper check-ins. O nly after the probation ends — thanks to m onths of
pushing from H R and m yself — he finally realizes the new hire has serious issues w ith
the team (and the team w ith them ). H e then decides to “fire” them . This has happened
three tim es over three years, creating a toxic environm ent for everyone and
ultim ately costing the com pany heavily w hen one of the em ployees took them to
court.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 6 4 N o Y e s P la n n in g t o im p le m e n t
0 % 2 0 % 4 0 % 6 0 % 8 0 % 1 0 0 % 0 – 1 0 1 1 – 5 0 5 1 – 1 0 0 1 0 1 – 5 0 0 5 0 1 – 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 +
8 7 %
7 %
6 %
7 6 %
1 7 %
7 %
6 7 %
2 7 %
6 %
4 7 %
4 2 %
1 1 %
3 7 %
5 2 %
1 1 %
3 4 %
5 6 %
1 0 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m H o w d o s p e c ia lis t s p e r c e iv e t h e ir
d e v e lo p m e n t ?
A c c o rd in g to o u r su rve y :
37% o f re sp o n d e n ts ra te th e ir d e ve lo p m e n t a t th e ir c u rre n t jo b a s
a ve ra g e , n o tin g th a t th e ir p ro g re ss c o u ld b e b e tte r (42% in 20 24).
30 % a re c o m p le te ly sa tisfie d w ith th e ir p ro fe ssio n a l d e ve lo p m e n t a t
th e ir c u rre n t jo b (sa m e a s in 20 24).
14% fe e l sta g n a n t (11% in 20 24).
18% re p o rt a slo w d o w n in th e ir p ro fe ssio n a l d e ve lo p m e n t (17% in
20 24).
“M ost sm all studios can feel like career dead ends. They often lack financial stability,
offer lim ited grow th opportunities, and provide little room for netw orking. The skills
you gain m ay not alw ays be relevant for larger, m ore established com panies, and the
projects produced there m ay not significantly strengthen your portfolio.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 6 5
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 20 25 E U R O P E , A R E Y O U D E V E LO P IN G P R O FE S S IO N A LLY A T Y O U R
C U R R E N T J O B ? B Y P R O FE S S IO N , %
6 6 Y e s , a b s o lu t e ly . M o r e o r le s s y e s , b u t it c o u ld h a v e b e e n b e t t e r . M o r e lik e n o , I f e e l a s lo w d o w n in d e v e lo p m e n t . N o , I f e e l s t a g n a n t .
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % H R / R e c r u it in g T o p m a n a g e m e n t , C – le v e l, V P C o m m u n it y / S u p p o r t P r o je c t M a n a g e m e n t / P r o d u c t io n M a r k e t in g / U s e r A c q u is it io n A n a ly t ic s G a m e D e s ig n B u s in e s s D e v e lo p m e n t / S a le s P r o g r a m m in g / D e v e lo p m e n t A r t / D e s ig n Q A / T e s t in g
4 7 %
3 3 %
1 4 %
6 %
4 4 %
3 6 %
1 5 %
5 %
3 9 %
2 8 %
2 2 %
1 1 %
3 6 %
4 0 %
1 7 %
7 %
3 2 %
2 9 %
1 5 %
2 4 %
3 1 %
4 1 %
2 1 %
7 %
3 0 %
3 8 %
1 8 %
1 4 %
2 9 %
3 8 %
1 9 %
1 4 %
2 8 %
4 2 %
1 4 %
1 6 %
2 0 %
3 8 %
2 5 %
1 7 %
1 7 %
3 1 %
2 5 %
2 7 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m D ID Y O U TA K E P R O FE S S IO N A L T R A IN IN G IN T H E P A S T Y E A R ?, % 6 7 N o . Y e s , w h ile e m p lo y e d , a t m y o w n e x p e n s e . Y e s , b e c a u s e I c h a n g e d jo b s a n d w a n t e d t o im p r o v e m y s k ills a n d k n o w le d g e . Y e s , e m p lo y e r -f u n d e d – a t m y in it ia t iv e . Y e s , e m p lo y e r -f u n d e d – a t t h e e m p lo y e r ‘s in it ia t iv e .
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ) E u r o p e (N o n E U )
5 5 %
1 9 %
1 0 %
9 %
7 %
5 5 %
1 9 %
1 2 %
9 %
5 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m D iv e r s it y & In c lu s io n
H a vin g e m p lo ye e s re sp o n sib le fo r D ive rsity & In c lu sio n (D & I) c o n tin u e s
to p la y a c ru c ia l ro le in sh a p in g a su p p o rtive a n d in c lu sive w o rkp la c e .
W h e n p e o p le fe e l th a t th e ir id e n titie s, b a c kg ro u n d s, a n d p e rsp e c tive s
a re va lu e d , it re d u c e s stre ss, in c re a se s jo b sa tisfa c tio n , a n d fo ste rs a
se n se o f b e lo n g in g . Th is in c lu sivity b u ild s tru st a n d p syc h o lo g ic a l
sa fe ty, m a kin g e m p lo ye e s m o re c o m fo rta b le e xp re ssin g th e m se lve s
a n d c o n trib u tin g fu lly. A s a re su lt, c o m p a n ie s b e n e fit fro m h ig h e r
e n g a g e m e n t, stro n g e r m o tiva tio n , a n d lo w e r tu rn o ve r, a s e m p lo ye e s
fe e l re sp e c te d a n d se c u re in th e ir e n viro n m e n t.
H o w e ve r, th e situ a tio n in 20 25 sh o w s a n e g a tive tre n d . La st ye a r, 58% o f
re sp o n d e n ts re p o rte d th a t th e ir c o m p a n ie s d id n o t h a ve a d e d ic a te d
D & I sp e c ia list, n o r a n yo n e p a rtia lly fu lfillin g th a t ro le . Th is ye a r, th e
n u m b e r h a s g ro w n to 67% , su g g e stin g th a t stru c tu re d e ffo rts in th is
a re a a re still n o t a p rio rity fo r m a n y e m p lo ye rs in th e g a m e s in d u stry.
20 25 V S 20 24 E U R O P E , D O E S Y O U R C O M P A N Y H A V E E M P LO Y E E S
S P E C IA LIZ E D IN D IV E R S IT Y & IN C LU S IO N ?, %
“Support for neurodivergent em ployees in the gam es industry is still lacking, and it
often hinders career progression. At one com pany, I w as told I couldn’t be prom oted
because I didn’t “speak up enough” in online m eetings — even w hen the topics being
discussed w eren’t areas w here I had any insights to contribute.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 6 8 Y e s N o , a n d n o b o d y in t h e t e a m is r e s p o n s ib le f o r it .
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % E u r o p e 2 0 2 5 , % E u r o p e 2 0 2 4 , %
1 4 %
6 7 %
1 7 %
5 8 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m W h a t is s u e s d o s p e c ia lis t s f a c e in t h e
w o r k p la c e ?
20 25 TO P 10 C H A LLE N G E S S P E C IA LIS T S FA C E A T W O R K , % 6 9 E u r o p e (E U + U K + C H ), % E u r o p e (N o n E U ), %
0 % 1 0 % 2 0 % 3 0 % 4 0 % 5 0 % 6 0 % 7 0 % P r o f e s s io n a l b u r n o u t U n p r o f e s s io n a l o r in e ff e c t iv e m a n a g e m e n t T e a m c o n fl ic t s L a c k o f a p p r e c ia t io n T o x ic it y w it h in t h e t e a m o r f r o m in d iv id u a l c o lle a g u e s U n f a ir d is t r ib u t io n o f r e s p o n s ib ilit ie s a n d r e w a r d s In e ff e c t iv e a n d n o t t r a n s p a r e n t in t e r n a l c o m m u n ic a t io n s L a c k o f jo b s e c u r it y In s u ffi c ie n t o n b o a r d in g / t r a in in g P o o r W o r k -L if e B a la n c e
5 9 %
6 3 %
5 7 %
4 5 %
4 8 %
3 3 %
4 6 %
3 2 %
4 5 %
3 8 %
4 1 %
2 8 %
4 1 %
2 3 %
3 9 %
1 8 %
3 7 %
2 3 %
3 2 %
3 5 %
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m “W hen m y m anager w as prom oted to C EO , I only found out from a LinkedIn post —
and no one in the com pany ever m entioned it afterw ards.”
“I reported m y director for em otional m anipulation. H R confirm ed it w as
unprofessional and unacceptable behavior, but a few m onths later I w as the one w ho
got fired.”
“I had been a team leader for about five years, but I changed jobs due to burnout
and the toxic atm osphere at the top m anagem ent/ow ner level. A little over a year
later, the w hole team w as fired, so it turned out m y tim ing w as right.”
“At m y previous w orkplace, everyone w as too afraid to ask our only H R anything
because she w as so good at giving toxic answ ers. I even asked friends from other
com panies to get their H R departm ents to help m e w ith paperw ork questions.
I experienced sexual harassm ent from a co-w orker during a social event at the office
— he repeatedly kissed m e throughout the evening. Since then, I’ve felt extrem ely
uncom fortable at w ork, especially on days w hen I have to interact w ith him .”
“I w as fired after disclosing a disability.”
“I w as excluded from w riting for a gam e w hose director claim ed they w anted an
‘authentic voice’ based on race. After I refused to w ork under those standards and
left the project, I later found out the director had sim ply hired a friend of theirs — w ho
w asn’t even of the ‘appropriate race’ — to w rite the story.”
“I’ve been aw ay from w ork for six m onths due to burnout, caused in part by a toxic
atm osphere and constant underm ining of m y w ork. I’ve just returned, but I’m already
considering m oving to a new job or going freelance now that I’ve m ostly recovered
m y energy.”
R e s p o n d e n t s ’ q u o t e s 7 0
W e l l – B e i n g :
H o w G a m e D e v P r o f e s s i o n a l s
F e e l a n d W h a t C h a l l e n g e s
T h e y F a c e
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m W h ic h g e n r e s d o s p e c ia lis t s w a n t t o
w o r k w it h ?
25% o f m id -c o re d e ve lo p e rs w a n t to w o rk o n h a rd c o re p ro je c ts, b u t
a lm o st h a lf o f th e m (40 % ) a re sa tisfie d w ith th e ir g e n re a n d d o n o t
w ish to c h a n g e it. 8 % o f th e m w o u ld like to w o rk o n th e ir o w n in d ie
p ro je c t.
45% o f h a rd c o re g e n re d e ve lo p e rs p re fe r to c o n tin u e w o rkin g w ith
h a rd c o re g e n re s, a n d o n ly 18 % w o u ld like to sw itc h to m id -c o re . 7% o f
th e m w o u ld like to w o rk o n th e ir o w n in d ie p ro je c t.
34% o f H y p e r C a su a l d e ve lo p e rs w a n t to tra n sitio n to m id -c o re , a n d
23% to h a rd c o re .
28 % o f C a su a l g a m e d e ve lo p e rs w a n t to m o ve to m id -c o re , 18 % to
h a rd c o re , a n d 26% a re sa tisfie d w ith th e C a su a l g e n re . 14% o f th e m
w o u ld like to w o rk o n th e ir o w n in d ie p ro je c t.
Th e p e rc e n ta g e o f th o se in te re ste d in w o rkin g w ith C a su a l g e n re s in
e a c h c o h o rt, e xc e p t fo r th o se a lre a d y d e ve lo p in g C a su a l g a m e s, is
lo w — ra n g in g fro m 2% to 18 % .
V e ry fe w w a n t to sta rt w o rkin g o n H y p e r C a su a l p ro je c ts, w ith u p to
1% in e a c h c o h o rt. O n ly 5% o f d e ve lo p e rs w o rkin g o n H y p e r C a su a l
p ro je c ts w o u ld like to c o n tin u e d e ve lo p in g g a m e s in th is g e n re
7 1
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 1234567891 0
W h i c h g l o b a l c o m p a n i e s d o
o u r r e s p o n d e n t s w a n t t o
w o r k f o r ? T o p m o s t
m e n t i o n e d c o m p a n i e s
T o p 1 0 G lo b a l G a m e C o m p a n ie s 7 2
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m 1234567891 0
W h i c h g l o b a l c o m p a n i e s d o
o u r r e s p o n d e n t s w a n t t o
w o r k f o r ? T o p m o s t
m e n t i o n e d c o m p a n i e s
T o p 1 0 R e g io n a l G a m e C o m p a n ie s 7 3
w w w .ing am ejo b .co m w w w .valuesvalue.co m w w w . sco rew arrio r.co m Rea d our rep orts from p revious yea rs. C heck out the p resenta tion “C a reer C ha llenges in the G a m es Ind ustry in
N um b ers a nd Resea rch” a t the d evcom conference, 2024.
N eed d eta iled sa la ry a na lytics? C onta ct us a t oi@ inga m ejob .com Post your job listings on the InG a m e Job p orta l. Find top ca nd id a tes for your tea m w ith Va lues Va lue.
U s e f u l L i n k s O u r T e a m
Tanja Loktionova Katya Sabirova Denys Zeleniuk O lga Panova
7 4 Founder at Values Value,
Co-Founder at InGam e Job Co-founder InGam e Job Data Scientist
InGam e Job Growth &
Partnerships M anager
InGam e Job
