The Games Industry Reset: What Happened and What Comes Next?

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what has happened to the games industry since 2022 and what may come next. The session will connect labor-market disruption with broader trends across funding, player demand, studio strategy, hiring, geography, and career pathways. Key takeaways will include: A data-backed view of the post-2022 games reset, including layoffs, hiring slowdowns, reduced remote availability, longer job searches, and changing role demand. A broader understanding of how labor-market pain connects to larger industry shifts, including funding pressure, rising development costs, more selective publishing, consolidation, and changing player behavior. A clearer picture of where demand appears to be shifting, including which regions, functions, skills, team models, and types of games may be showing resilience. A grounded assessment of what has been misunderstood about the market, separating durable signals from fear, noise, and overgeneralized headlines. Practical insight for job seekers, employers, educators, investors, and community leaders on how to interpret the current market and make better decisions. Most importantly, the session will not treat this period only as a story of decline. It will highlight points of light, areas of opportunity, and the ways the industry can support talent more effectively as games moves into its next chapter.