In the year 2025, game development studios across Europe dramatically increased the amount of money they allocated to external talent, posting a striking 63 percent rise in spending on outsourced roles. This surge outstripped the overall global increase, which was recorded at 55 percent, highlighting a particularly aggressive shift within the European market toward leveraging non‑in‑house expertise. The figures come from the recently released analysis titled “Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry,” authored by Tanja Loktionova, founder of Values Value and co‑founder of InGame Job. Loktionova’s report paints a picture of an industry in transition, where studios are re‑configuring their workforce structures to balance core creative leadership with a flexible pool of specialists.
One of the most notable trends highlighted in the study is the growth in the freelance workforce that partners with European studios. The number of independent contractors and freelancers working on game projects grew by 24 percent over the previous year. This expansion reflects a broader move away from fully staffed, permanent teams toward a model that can scale resources up or down depending on the phase of development.
At the same time, the average earnings of freelancers worldwide experienced a 19 percent uplift, indicating that the market is rewarding specialized skill sets with higher compensation. Despite these positive financial signals, the report also uncovers significant challenges on both sides of the employment equation. Nearly six out of ten studios—approximately 60 percent—reported difficulty in locating qualified specialists to fill their open positions.
The shortage of talent appears to be a systemic issue, driven by rapid technological change and a competitive hiring environment. Conversely, 54.1 percent of freelancers said they faced obstacles in finding projects that matched their expertise, suggesting a mismatch between supply and demand that leaves many capable professionals underutilized. Financial stability remains a lingering concern for the freelance community. While the average monthly income for freelancers rose by 19 percent globally, almost 63 percent of these independent workers expressed worry about the reliability of their earnings.
The gig‑based nature of their work means that income can fluctuate dramatically from one sprint to the next, and many freelancers are still seeking a more predictable revenue stream. The broader labor market within the gaming sector also shows signs of turbulence. About 30 percent of respondents to the survey indicated that they had experienced layoffs in the past twelve months.
For those who lost their positions, the average time required to secure a new role was roughly six months, underscoring a relatively lengthy job‑search period in a competitive field. Looking ahead, half of the surveyed professionals anticipate changing jobs within the next half‑year, and fewer than half reported satisfaction with their current employment situation. Only 26 percent felt they were making meaningful professional progress, while 36 percent described their career trajectory as stagnant. Moreover, a striking 55 percent disclosed that they had not received any formal training or upskilling opportunities in the preceding year, pointing to a potential skills gap that could hinder future innovation.
Loktionova interprets these data points as a "structural signal that the industry has matured past its growth‑at‑any‑cost phase and has not yet figured out what replaces it." In other words, the gaming sector is moving out of a period characterized by aggressive expansion and into a more measured, sustainable phase, but the exact blueprint for this new era remains unclear. The report suggests that studios are gravitating toward a two‑tier team architecture.
At the top tier sits a small, stable core consisting of directors, lead architects, and other key creatives who safeguard the long‑term vision of a franchise. These individuals typically receive equity stakes, comprehensive health benefits, and performance‑based bonuses, reflecting their strategic importance to the company.
The second tier comprises a growing contingent of contractors and freelancers who are brought on for specific development sprints, feature implementations, or art and sound assets. Once the targeted phase concludes, many of these external contributors are released from their contracts, effectively sitting on the periphery of the organization. This model provides studios with the flexibility to adapt quickly to shifting market demands while keeping core overhead costs manageable. In addition to workforce composition, the study also explores the impact of emerging technologies on employment sentiment.
A substantial 61 percent of European developers voiced concern that generative AI tools could increase pressure to deliver content faster and at higher volumes. While AI promises to accelerate certain production pipelines, many creators fear that the technology could erode the value of human creativity and push studios to expect more output with fewer resources.
Nonetheless, the anxiety is not uniform. About 35 percent of respondents believe that AI might actually threaten their job security or diminish the demand for their particular skill set. This subset of developers worries that automation could replace routine tasks, leaving fewer opportunities for specialists whose work can be easily replicated by algorithms. Overall, the 2025 landscape for European game studios is characterized by a pronounced shift toward external talent, heightened financial investment in freelancers, and a growing reliance on flexible staffing models.
At the same time, the industry grapples with talent shortages, concerns over income stability, and the looming influence of AI on creative workflows. As studios continue to refine their two‑tier structures and navigate the balance between core leadership and peripheral expertise, the next few years will likely determine how sustainably the sector can grow while preserving the innovative spirit that has defined gaming for decades.