GDC Industry Survey Reveals 35% of Game Developers Focused on XR Development

In a year where the gaming industry has faced its fair share of challenges, it appears that XR development has remained largely resilient. The Game Developer Conference’s (GDC) annual State of the Game Industry Survey gives us a glimpse into this trend, showing that 35% of developers surveyed are actively engaged in creating content for XR.

GDC, held in San Francisco, is a magnetic event for developers, offering an invaluable platform for studios to not only showcase their latest creations but also to immerse themselves in cutting-edge insights from leading companies in the gaming world. Though the conference occurs every March, its survey is distributed online towards the end of the year, ensuring the statistics shared are relatively current. This year’s survey, for the first time, included a section focused specifically on the creation of XR content, yielding some intriguing findings.

The data indicates that the five platforms capturing the most interest among developers are Meta Quest, which leads with 63%, followed by SteamVR at 45%. Apple Vision Pro grabs the interest of 26%, and both PlayStation VR/2 and Apple’s ARKit for smartphones pique the curiosity of 25% and 12% of developers, respectively.

However, it’s interesting to note that the platforms developers are curious about don’t necessarily align with those they’re developing for. Event organizers highlighted that the Quest enjoys a large share of actual development (59%), trailed by SteamVR with 31% and PSVR 2 with 16%. Despite the Vision Pro catching the attention of 26% of respondents, only about 8% are forging ahead with development for Apple’s mixed reality “spatial computer.”

This survey marks uncharted territory as the question about XR development is new this year, so comparisons with past data are unavailable. Nevertheless, GDC speculates that the number of developers focused on XR and their chosen platforms have remained steady, albeit based on informal polling until now.

The larger gaming industry has been navigating stormy waters with shutdowns and layoffs impacting both traditional and XR studios since 2023. Nevertheless, the fact that XR development stays on course is a welcome sign, especially considering the XR market’s smaller user base compared to more traditional platforms. This might have otherwise discouraged studios from pursuing XR ventures in favor of more reliable opportunities.

As we approach this year’s GDC, scheduled from March 17th to 22nd at the Moscone Center, we are eager to gain further insights into XR’s evolving landscape.