Even with the industry’s ups and downs, XR development seems to be holding steady. The Game Developer Conference’s latest State of the Game Industry Survey highlighted that a significant 35% of developers are currently working on XR projects.
Held annually in San Francisco, the Game Developer Conference is a pivotal event for creators everywhere. It’s a bustling hub where studios showcase their latest creations, deepen community ties, and glean important insights from top platform holders and leading gaming companies.
Surveys for GDC are conducted online at the end of each year, giving us the most current data. This year’s survey, for the first time, asked developers specifically about their involvement in XR content, leading to some revealing results.
Developers were most intrigued by platforms like Meta Quest at 63%, followed by SteamVR at 45%, Apple Vision Pro at 26%, PlayStation VR/2 at 25%, and Apple’s ARKit for smartphones at 12%.
However, there’s a difference between interest and actual development focus. The survey shows that a substantial number of developers are currently working on projects for Quest (59%), SteamVR (31%), and PSVR 2 (16%).
Apple’s innovative Vision Pro piqued the interest of 26% of survey participants, yet only 8% are currently developing for this mixed reality ‘spatial computer’.
It’s important to note that this survey cannot be directly compared to previous years since this was the first time these questions were included. However, based on informal observations, GDC suggests that the number of XR developers has remained stable, as have their preferred platforms.
This stability in XR development is welcoming news, especially during challenging times for the gaming industry, which has seen studio closures and layoffs, impacting both traditional and XR-focused companies since 2023.
The fact that XR development is resilient is promising, considering the user base for XR experiences is smaller compared to traditional gaming platforms. This might have otherwise discouraged developers from sticking with XR in favor of safer investments.
We are eagerly anticipating the further exploration of these insights at this year’s GDC, scheduled to take place from March 17th to 22nd at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.
