Layoffs and AI sour annual Game Developers Conference: 'The vibe is rancid'

Despite the sunny spring skies in San Francisco this week, the mood among nearly 30,000 video game industry professionals was gloomy as they descended upon the city for the yearly Game Developers Conference (GDC). Some were so frustrated with the state of affairs in their business that they organized a group screaming session in a park. "Those of us who have a job and can afford to be here are going through the motions and trying to have a good time," said Maxi Molina, a game developer attending the event from Spain. "But the vibe is rancid in the industry right now." The gaming industry saw more than 10,000 workers laid off in 2023, up from 8,500 in 2022, according to the Game Industry Layoffs project, which tracks game developer and publisher job losses globally.