Organisers of GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 have released the second annual GDC Trends report, offering insights into emerging industry trends.
This year’s event highlighted five key trends: adoption of generative AI, growth in co-development, increased dual monetisation in mobile gaming, challenges in securing funding and publishing partnerships, and evolving advocacy policies and accessibility concerns.
The report found consistent support for using generative AI in planning and routine tasks, especially among older professionals and neurodivergent individuals.
Professionals emphasised that AI tools should support rather than replace the development process, though some expressed concerns about potential layoffs. The report also noted that agentic AI could reduce AAA development costs by managing bugs, coding, or player support.
Co-development was another key topic. The 2026 State of the Game Industry Report found that 6% of studio employees work at dedicated co-dev companies, while other teams participate in co-dev alongside their main projects.
The report found that developers prefer co-dev over outsourcing because it enables teams to work on “larger, more foundational parts” of a game and have greater creative input.
However, as co-dev grows in popularity, increased competition has made it more difficult for new teams to secure long-term partnerships.
The report identified dual monetisation, featuring in-game ads alongside in-app purchases (IAP), as a growing trend in mobile gaming.
Additionally, it found that the direct-to-consumer monetisation model is expanding following the ruling against Apple’s ban on external payment links.
Elsewhere, industry professionals discussed challenges over the past year, especially in securing funding or finding publishing partners.
Studios were encouraged to consider self-publishing as an alternative to external funding or partnerships, as it avoids higher publisher sales percentages and preserves creative control. However, self-publishing does not offer publisher services such as marketing, testing, or QA.
Self-advocacy for individuals and studios was also a major trend, with limited access to funding, networks, and visibility described as an “infrastructure problem.”
The report also addressed the impact of anti-DEI policies and the shift to “merit-based systems,” which critics argued overlook the initial disadvantages faced by marginalised developers, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Older game developers addressed concerns of ageism, including pressure to assume managerial roles and being viewed as overqualified for creative contributor positions.
The report also included a mental health study showing that only 20% of developers reported good or very good mental health, while 94% experienced at least one symptom of burnout.
