Developers expect generative AI to impact roles and team sizes in the next three years
According to a Gamescom Dev Speaker survey of 100 conference participants, developers expect generative AI to significantly reshape the game industry’s workforce structure within the next three years. The survey found that 83 percent of respondents anticipate AI will impact team composition or productivity in some form.
However, developers remain divided on the specifics of that impact. Just over one-third (36 percent) of speakers believe AI will primarily alter existing roles rather than reduce headcount, while 33 percent expect team sizes to shrink. A smaller segment—17 percent—do not anticipate AI-driven team reductions at all.
The survey reflects ongoing industry skepticism toward generative AI, which has received largely negative reception from developers in recent years. Many in the field have voiced concerns that AI adoption is having a “corrosive effect” on the industry, citing issues ranging from job displacement to code quality and ethical considerations.
The findings suggest that while nearly all surveyed developers recognize AI as a transformative force, there remains considerable uncertainty about whether its primary effect will be efficiency gains that reshape roles, workforce reductions, or structural changes entirely. This divergence in expectations underscores both the nascent state of AI integration in game development and the ongoing industry debate about how the technology will ultimately reshape human resources.