​The first findings from the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2026 are starting to make their way into the wider industry conversation.

Following Tanja Loktionova’s presentation at gamescom dev, GamesIndustry.biz published two articles based on the research.

We’re glad to see the survey used as a source for broader discussions around how work, hiring and careers in games are changing. That’s one of the reasons we continue to run this research every year: to give the industry more data to work with and a clearer picture of what’s happening across the market.

You can read both articles here:

📌 European studio expenditure on external talent rises 63% in 2025
🔗 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/european-studio-expenditure-on-external-talent-rises-63-in-2025

📌 European game developers are more concerned that AI will pressure them to work faster rather than take their job
🔗 https://www.gamesindustry.biz/european-game-developers-are-more-concerned-that-ai-will-pressure-them-to-work-faster-rather-than-take-their-job

The first article also includes Tanja’s full presentation from gamescom dev.

Thank you to Sophie McEvoy for taking a closer look at the findings.

The full Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2026, our 10th anniversary edition, will be released in early November.

The research is supported by our Exclusive Partner Mellow, together with Scorewarrior and Tribe.