Unity Gaming Report 2023 Highlights the Resilience of the Gaming Industry

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Unity (NYSE: U) has released its Unity Gaming Report 2023, highlighting resilience in the gaming industry amid economic challenges in 2022. The report reveals that 62% of indie developers completed games in under a year, with smaller studios working 1.2% fewer hours on average. Additionally, 90% of small studios focused on a single platform, while larger studios increased multiplatform game production by 16%. Furthermore, game lifespan increased by 33%, with 84% of larger studios continuing updates beyond six months. The report anticipates greater integration of generative AI in game development to enhance productivity.

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62% of indie studios shipped games in under a year.
Smaller studios worked 1.2% fewer hours on average, equating to five years of total work hours saved.
Large studios increased multiplatform game production by 16% compared to 2021.
84% of larger studios updated their games for more than six months, extending game lifespan by 33%.

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03/14/2023 - 08:00 AM

Report Shows That Studios Are Finding Opportunities to Optimize Development and Sustain Their Games Longer

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Unity (NYSE: U), the world’s leading platform for creating and growing real-time 3D (RT3D) content, today released the Unity Gaming Report 2023 revealing that while 2022 was marked by shifting economic headwinds, creativity and innovation in the gaming industry remained strong. The report features fresh, actionable insights on the state of game development to support studios of all sizes as they navigate the complexities of making games. The data is pulled from the Unity real-time development platform and Unity Gaming Services, through solutions that span mobile, PC, and console gaming, providing a unique view of the many parts of the gaming industry. New to this year’s report are insights and advice from respected studios including Zynga, the leading entertainment publisher behind the world’s most popular mobile games, Second Dinner, the award-winning developer behind the popular mobile hit, MARVEL SNAP, and Ramen VR, the creators of the highly acclaimed MMO VR game, Zenith: The Last City.

Unity Gaming Report 2023 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The Unity Gaming Report 2023 highlights that while 2022 delivered economic change and challenges, game developers and the industry as a whole showed resilience and strength. Developers focused on efficiencies, optimization and post launch efforts. Most smaller studios shipped games in under twelve months and they did it while working fewer hours. Different sized studios were also strategic about platform investment. Large studios drove year over year growth in multiplatform and cross-platform development, while the majority of smaller studios (90%) opted to develop for a single platform. What was consistent for studios of all sizes though, was prioritizing post-launch support, as developers doubled down on extending the lifespan of their games by 33% to retain their existing player base for longer. Looking ahead, the Unity Gaming Report 2023 predicts that generative AI will be more involved in the development process to amplify productivity for creators and to reduce the time and resources required to make a game.

“It’s inspiring to witness the passion, ingenuity and persistence from our developer community as they continue to make incredible games in a tough macroeconomic environment,” said Marc Whitten, SVP & GM, Unity Create. “At Unity, we are committed to delivering a deep and best-in-class platform that helps them at every stage of their journey - from creating their game, to scaling with their players, to growing their business.”

Some key findings from the Unity Gaming Report 2023 include:

Efficiency is key with smaller studios shipping games quickly and working fewer hours – 62% of indies shipped games in less than a year, and smaller studios in general worked 1.2% fewer hours on average (equates to 5 years of total work hours).
To optimize investment, different size studios are being strategic about the number of platforms to develop for – Nearly 90% of small studios are releasing on a single platform, while large studios have increased the number of multiplatform games produced in 2022 by 16% compared to 2021. 88% of large studios also invest in crossplatform.
Developers are doubling down on extending the lifespan of existing games and retaining players – The lifespan of mobile games increased 33% over the last year. Approximately 84% of studios with more than 50 people update their games for more than six months.

To view the full analysis and additional insights, download the Unity Gaming Report 2023.

Unity will be hosting a creators roundtable with developers featured in the Gaming Report 2023 at the 2023 Game Developers Conference where industry leaders will discuss industry trends on the current and future state of end-to-end game development, monetization, and live operations. To learn more about this roundtable and other Unity GDC sessions, please visit https://unity.com/events/gdc2023.

About Unity

Unity is the world’s leading platform for content creators of all sizes to successfully realize their vision. Our comprehensive set of software solutions supports them through the entire development lifecycle as they build, run, and grow immersive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. For more information, visit Unity.com.