1、2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast2IntroductionWelcome to the 2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast ReportWere excited to bring you the result

2、s of our 2022 survey!This year,we surveyed more than 300 professionals working in the game development industry.We asked participants to weigh in on the biggest challenges their teams and projects are facing,how Covid has changed their way of working,and what predictions they have for game dev in th

3、e next few years.Finally,we gathered insights on the tools and technologies used to support game development.From game engines to graphical tools,we dug into what helps and hurts these professionals.We hope the information in this report will inform decisions your game development team makes on tool

4、s and processes.Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast survey.Brad Hart Chief Technology Officer,Perforce Game developers predict that streaming will become the dominant platform by 2025.COVID-19 has permanently changed the way teams work,with remote team

5、s across time zones becoming the new normal.Most game dev teams are doing at least part of their game development in the cloud.Creatives are a larger part of the game development process than ever before.Key Findings Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of

6、their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast3Table of Contents Biggest Challenges in Game Development10The Key Tools and Processes of Success13Survey Demographics20Summary:What it Takes to Make Great Games224The Future of Game Development Perforce Software,Inc.All trademar

7、ks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast4the Future of Game DevelopmentWe asked game development professionals about the future of game development.They weighed in on what trends they see leaving a lasting impact versus

8、those that are fads.What About Current Trends in AR,VR,the Metaverse,and NFTs?Top Predictions For Game Development by 2022695What Will Impact Game Development The Most?Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Devel

9、opment Trends&Forecast5What Will Impact Game Development the Most?Streaming was the most popular answer to the question“which game development platform will grow the most by 2025?”Customers are increasingly demanding to play their favorite games on whichever system they want to use,so game companies

10、 are feeling the pressure to offer streaming services.The second highest group at 24%said mobile will grow the most by 2025 considering it is a platform the vast majority of people already own.Streaming helps gaming move forward faster,with less reliance on hardware,meaning games are more transporta

11、ble and accessible for those unable to afford a game system or PC.Game dev respondents predict an increase in the creation of infrastructure around 5G to better support mobile and streaming play.StreamingMobileMetaverseConsoleOther40%24%18%10%7%RELATED READING:Essential Mobile Game Development Softw

12、are for TeamsIn Your Words“The future is with Streaming when it comes to gaming.Everyone now wishes to play their favorite PC and Console games during a bus ride,it only needs the suitable infrastructure to grow more,and I can see that this can be possible in 2025.”Anonymous“Streaming allows more ga

13、mes to be played that people otherwise couldnt play without an expensive console or PC build.”Brian Avila Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast6What About Current Trends in AR,VR,Meta

14、verse,and NFTs?Augmented reality(AR),virtual reality(VR),the metaverse,and most controversial of all,non-fungible tokens(NFTs)captured attention in the early 2020s.We asked participants what they thought of these trends and if they believe they will last.Augmented and Virtual Reality:Here to StayMor

15、e than 75%of respondents say that either AR or VR will have at least some impact on game development by 2025.While 33%say it will have a major impact.Some ImpactMajor ImpactMinimal Impact1%No Impact1%I Dont Know33%46%18%A lack of availability,accessibility,and affordability will likely keep AR and V

16、R from being as mainstream as desktop or console.Game dev professionals forecast virtual reality having an even bigger impact on other industries,though.One respondent expects a higher impact on education and healthcare.In Your Words“I believe AR potentially has the greatest impact if it can seamles

17、sly work with devices that are readily available.However,the others are more niche and not as accessible to people.AR likely has more bleed over to other industries,which will make it more attractive.”Anonymous“Due to a lack of availability to baseline tech,AR,VR,and extended reality(ER)will not be

18、able to scale in the same proportion as typical desktop applications nowadays.It is and will be for a while a luxury or product of choice.”Anonymous“I believe in about 10 years or so VR will be more than just a game experience.It will stretch beyond the limits of reality,not just a virtual one.It wi

19、ll bring us to a whole new world and create new aspects of life.It will be able to be used longer and will maybe even help in more jobs and save lives in the future.”Elijah McElwian Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2

20、022 Game Development Trends&Forecast7Metaverse:A Mixed BagThe metaverse is a loose term being used to reference a network of 3D virtual worlds.Most famously,Facebook has rebranded to Meta,a move made to focus on the metaverse.Meanwhile,other tech giants like Microsoft and Sony are buying up major st

21、udios in what appears to be a massive bid on this speculative virtual future.Even so,survey respondents are divided on what impact it will have on the industry in the next few years.At 37%,the largest group of respondents say the metaverse will have some impact on the game industry by 2025,while 30%

22、say it will have a minimal impact.Only 19%say it will have a major impact.Some ImpactMajor ImpactMinimal ImpactNo ImpactI Dont Know19%37%30%9%6%In Your Words“I think metaverse as a marketing term will probably inspire a bunch of new short-lived,low-quality games,but any good things enabled by the me

23、taverse have already been done in older games.”Anonymous“2025 is still too soon to make the impact people are talking about,as we can see with VR this idea can provide numbers,but it wont do it in a short time.”Mateusz Kruk Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the prope

24、rty of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast8NFTs:Here Today,Gone TomorrowNFTs have made the news for their role in selling and buying art,fashion,real estate,and in-app gaming.Game development professionals,though,overwhelmingly(49%)said NFTs would have either no i

25、mpact or minimal impact on the future of the game industry.Minimal ImpactSome ImpactNo ImpactMajor ImpactI Dont Know35%29%14%13%8%Many respondents dont see how NFTs benefit gamers,viewing them as a way for big studios to make more money with no added value to customers.And concerns over environmenta

26、l sustainability may discourage the use of the cryptocurrencies behind NFTs leading to a decline in popularity.In Your Words“The reality is that NFT technology does not do anything that a centralized database cannot if Microsoft wants people to buy a Master Chief helmet in Halo and use it in Call of

27、 Duty,they need only tie it to a players Xbox or Game Pass account;they have no need to involve the blockchain.It is more costly and less efficient.Once the gold rush dies down and people buying purely to invest cash out,NFTs will settle into a place of being digital collectibles for superfans,a nic

28、he item for a niche market.”Anonymous“I have yet to see a game use NFT technology in a unique way.Right now it seems like a grift.People add NFT tech to games so they can include that buzzword in their product.”Anonymous“The reality is that there is nothing an NFT can do that game development compan

29、ies with global scale can already do using their own services,apart from waste energy and wreck the climate.”Anonymous Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast9Top Predictions For Game D

30、evelopment By 2025We invited game development professionals to share their top predictions for game development in the upcoming years.Here are some of their responses.Move to a Subscription-Based Model“Subscription services like Game Pass will begin to make selling individual games less viable,and t

31、he industry will move to a Netflix/Hulu model.Eventually,even console hardware may become irrelevant.”Anonymous“The increase in subscription model game development as a replacement to free-to-play game models.We are seeing major publishers work to achieve exclusivity rights to IPs in the game librar

32、ies they offer for a subscription fee.”AnonymousIncrease in Indie Studios“.Youll see(and are already seeing)a huge increase in smaller studios.Unionization is a major possibility.”Anonymous“I think the big push towards open source and Epics involvement in supporting small studios will play a large r

33、ole in pushing Unreal and other engines,further eroding AAA studios and moving production to small groups.”AnonymousRemote Work as the Future“I think the way in which we make games will change.Due to Covid,large studios have started to take more of a lax approach to development and allowed for a lon

34、ger development period,which in the long run has allowed for less crunch and more time for staff to focus on not just their work but their own mental and physical health.I also believe working from home and remote work will become more common,especially in smaller studios and independent teams.”Anon

35、ymous“Remote working will become an expected offer from all major game studios who hope to retain talent.”Anonymous“With remote work being accepted as the norm,new talent will emerge from developing nations and bring incredible content and stories.”Anonymous Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and

36、registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast10Biggest Challenges in Game Development Across the board,game development professionals share the same frustrations.Funding once again was the top challenge according to 31%of participan

37、ts only a slight dip from 33%in 2020.Other common challenges include keeping and attracting employees,finding time to innovate,and collaboration.FundingTalent AcquisitionTime for InnovationCollaborationOther31%22%22%14%10%Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the propert

38、y of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast11What Challenges Impact Game Development Studios Today?Its apparent that these challenges are prevalent throughout the industry,in teams both large and small.Lets dive deeper into what these challenges are and how teams are

39、 approaching them.#1 Challenge:Securing Funding For Teams/ProjectsLack of sufficient funding snowballs into other challenges,like having no time for innovation and fewer resources for talent acquisition and retention.Adequate funding allows for better tools,bigger teams,and faster development.RELATE

40、D READING:Top Tips For Getting Game Development Funding In Your Words“For funding we are looking at any available grants via government and companies such as the Epic MegaGrant program,as well as bootstrapping as much as we can.Luke Brewerton“Ive been in contact with professionals from another organ

41、ization in hopes to start a crowdfunding campaign and get our game developed faster.”Anonymous“Were thinking of making prototypes to attract backers and investors,also starting with small companies and small-to-medium scale projects to maintain funds.”Mostafa Nabil#2 Challenge:Talent Acquisition and

42、 RetentionIt is no wonder 22%of respondents reported talent as an issue.The competitive market has made it difficult for small teams to compete with the wages and benefits of larger studios.Add in the“Great Resignation”,and teams are struggling to attract and retain top talent,with almost half of re

43、spondents citing recruitment as the biggest hurdle.Difficulty Recruiting TalentApplicants Lack Sufficient Skill or KnowledgeDifficulty OfferingCompetitive Wageand BenefitsDifficulty RetainingTalent for Other ReasonsOther3%DifficultyRetainingTalent Dueto HeavyWorkload43%23%16%9%6%Perforce Software,In

44、c.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast12So how are teams currently trying to overcome the pervasive talent shortage?In Your Words“Using recruiters,hiring from out of area for remote work.”Anonymous“Expand

45、ing geographic regions,employing recruiters,using LinkedIn Recruiter.”Anonymous“Increasing recruitment via attending GDC and posting on Handshake instead of just relying on networking.”Anonymous#3 Challenge:Time For InnovationWith limited funding and not enough bandwidth,teams are stretched to deliv

46、er projects on time.There is rarely time to iterate,according to 36%of respondents.Another reason theres not enough time to innovate?There are not enough team members or expertise on the team,said 31%of respondents.Several respondents said they are developing games as a side gig and are juggling a f

47、ull-time job and development at once.Whatever the case,there arent enough hours in the day for most game development professionals.Not Enough Time to IterateNot Enough TeamMembers and/or KnowledgeTools and/orProcedures SlowingTeams DownDifficulty KeepingUp with Releases3%IissuesCoordinatingRemotely3

48、%Other36%31%15%12%In Your Words“Introducing processes and pipelines to improve efficiency like CI/CD,shift left testing,functional testing,technical QA,etc.”Anonymous“Making iterations more meaningful,working on tools and processes to make development flows more efficient.”Romain Moret Perforce Soft

49、ware,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast13The Key Tools and Processes For SuccessTools,methodologies,and processes can make life better or worse,depending on which ones you are using.We asked respond

50、ents what top tools they are using,how they are using them,and what their processes are.Which Tools Do They Use?1714How Has COVID-19 Changed The Way Teams Work?Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development T

51、rends&Forecast14How Has COVID-19 Changed the Way Teams Work?We have all seen that COVID-19 has changed the world,so we wanted to explore how exactly it has impacted the way game studios and teams work.More than half(54%)of respondents said they started working remotely,with 15%forgoing office space

52、altogether.With teams moving out of an office and into different time zones,its no wonder 38%of respondents said they needed to add tools and/or processes to help with collaboration.Started WorkingRemotelyNeeded To Add Tools and/or Processes to Help with CollaborationHired Outside TheirRegion or Cou

53、ntryNo Impact on Themor Their Company15%No Longer Havea Shared Space54%38%29%26%RELATED WEBINAR:Going Remote:Build Your Game Development TeamIn Your Words“Covid had a big impact on remote working all over the world,and it will facilitate collaboration all over the globe.I myself work remotely 100%.”

54、Anonymous Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast15Collaboration With more teams working remote,we wanted to know:How will game studios become more collaborative?It should be noted that

55、 participants could choose more than one answer.72%57%54%46%72%57%54%46%Work Across Geosand Time ZonesExpand Partnershipsand AcquisitionsShare andReuse AssetsUse MoreOpen Source CodeCollaboration will expand across borders in the coming years,even more than were seeing now.Covid overwhelmingly helpe

56、d teams realize they have more flexibility to work with people across time zones.Survey takers also expect to see more partnerships and acquisitions(57%),share and reuse of assets(54%),and use of more open source code(46%).MethodologiesTeams use a variety of development methodologies to build a game

57、.There is no single method that works for every team.Many survey takers used Agile(28%),opting for different Agile methods like Scrum(19%)and Kanban(17%).While 19%of survey takers used a combination of methods.Few use Waterfall(6%)alone.And 3%say they either dont use a methodology at all or use a me

58、thodology loosely based on one of the above.AgileScrumHybridKanbanI Dont KnowWaterfall3%Other28%19%6%17%19%8%Is your team sitting on a ton of art assets?Find,repurpose,and share them faster with Helix DAM.Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respec

59、tive owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast16Team MakeupArt is becoming one of the most important,if not the most important,aspects of a video game.That means creative teams within game dev studios have gotten bigger to address the demand for better,more inventive,and more immersive

60、art.Almost two-thirds of respondents say at least half of their team is made up of creative,non-coding roles,such as artists,designers,and animators,while 30%said more than half of their team is made up of creative roles,and 28%said about half is creatives.More Than HalfAbout HalfLess Than HalfAll C

61、reatives1%OutsourceThese Roles30%28%18%8%What Are They Working On?With mobile gaming and streaming forecasted to grow,we wanted to know what platforms respondents are developing for now.The result is mainly PC(84%),followed by console(44%)and mobile(42%).84%44%42%28%PCConsoleMobileVR5%OtherThis is n

62、ot surprising,as PC game development has the lowest barrier to entry and indie game development is still popular.Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast17Which Tools Do They Use?We aske

63、d survey takers which tools and technologies they are using to develop their games,from game engines to IDEs and more.Game EnginesUnreal and Unity are the clear winners here,with 63%of respondents using Unreal compared to 50%for Unity.Participants were able to choose more than one engine,with 11.5%c

64、hoosing more than one.63%50%UnrealUnity15%Our Own4%Amazon Lumberyard/Open 3D4%CryEngineChoosing a game engine largely depends on the scope of a project,the number of people on the team,the amount of assets,and what resources the team has available for tools and technology.Familiarity with an engine

65、also doesnt hurt.Need help choosing a game engine?Here is a deeper dive into the most popular game engines.Otherwise,see how you can get started with Unreal Engine or Unity.Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game

66、Development Trends&Forecast18Digital Content CreationPhotoshop(67%)and Blender(63%)are the most commonly used graphical tools,according to respondents.It should be noted that participants could choose multiple options,and we saw a wide range of combinations,including game engines being used to creat

67、e art assets.67%63%43%28%27%19%PhotoshopBlenderMaya3DS MaxHoudiniAferEffects5%Cinema 4D3%NukeSelecting the right graphics tools is important.One thing to consider is whether graphics tools are integrated with the rest of the toolset,especially version control.RELATED READING:Version Control For Desi

68、gnersIntegrated Development Environments(IDE)At 68%,Microsoft Visual Studio is the leading choice for an IDE,followed by Microsoft Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Rider in third.68%38%20%MicrosofVisual StudioMicrosofVisual StudioCodeJetBrainsRider10%AndroidStudio5%IntelliJ Perforce Software,Inc.All

69、 trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast19Microsoft Visual Studio has been a developer favorite for years now,due to its tight integration with other tools and ability to easily edit and debug code.RELATED READI

70、NG:How to Use Microsoft Visual Studio With Unity and PerforceCloud UsageUsing the cloud for development eliminates the need for costly hardware.Teams can access files from anywhere,enhancing global collaboration.The overwhelming majority of users(60%)are developing games either solely on the cloud o

71、r using a hybrid model of cloud and on-premise.Only 16%of respondents said they are not using the cloud for game dev.Using Any Cloud ProviderHybrid Cloud/On-PremiseNot Using Any Cloud Provider60%18%18%For respondents using a hybrid or 100%cloud model,AWS was the leading platform with 29%of responden

72、ts using their services,followed by 15%using Microsoft Azure.Other mentions include Google Cloud Platform(8%)and DigitalOcean(8%).AWSMicrosof AzureGoogle Cloud PlatformDigitalOcean29%15%8%8%RELATED READING:Cloud Game Development Solutions For Your Team Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and regist

73、ered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast20Survey DemographicsIn the first half of 2022,we surveyed more than 300 people in the game development industry.We asked participants where they work to get an understanding of the types of pr

74、ojects and teams involved.The most popular answers were“work for a game studio”(35%)and“work outside game industry but on own game project”(34%).Knowing there are so many freelance developers helps account for some of the top challenges we saw earlier i.e.,securing funding and having time for innova

75、tion.Work for a Game StudioWork Outside Game Industybut on Own Game ProjectStudio OwnersContractors forGame Studios35%34%22%9%Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast21How Long Have You

76、Been in the Game Industry?We asked our survey takers how long they have been in the game industry.Answers were varied,but a quarter said theyve been working in the industry for 10 years or more.A small number of respondents are either new to the industry or are still in school.3-5 YearsMore Than 10

77、Years1-2 Years6-10 YearsLess Than 1 Year28%25%20%16%10%Job TitleLastly,we wanted to know what type of roles our survey takers have.While we expected a large number to be engineers(32%),it was interesting to see a higher-than-expected number of creatives.Animators,artists,and designers together made

78、up 20%of respondents.EngineerOtherDirectorDesignerArtistProducerProjectManager3%QA/Tester2%Animator32%19%14%13%6%6%6%Perforce Software,Inc.All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.(0820JB22)2022 Game Development Trends&Forecast22SummaryBuilding the Top Gam

79、es For the FutureThe game industry is always changing,but recently,external factors have had a larger influence than usual on how game professionals work.Our survey responders showed that remote work is here to stay,despite some challenges in communicating and collaborating around the globe.In addit

80、ion,a talent shortage is pressuring teams to work harder,faster,and smarter to account for knowledge gaps,turnover,and tightened scope.Despite these challenges,game developers are pushing to create more accessible,innovative games.Most survey respondents forecast a bigger shift to streaming and mobi

81、le games.We also heard from game professionals on trends such as virtual reality,augmented reality,the metaverse,and NFTs.The role of VR/AR in the industry is expected to grow,while the metaverses future is murkier.What almost everyone agreed on is the minimal impact NFTs are expected to have.Settin

82、g Up for Success with the Right ToolsTrends can be controversial,but what is not controversial is this:Teams need the right tools and processes to be successful.And those tools need to evolve to keep up with the fast pace of game development.Using Perforces industry-leading game development tools He

83、lix Core,Hansoft,and Helix DAM your team can accelerate iteration and innovation to conquer tomorrows challenges today.Streamline Creative Workflows&Master Your ArtFind,share,review,and version art assets fast with Helix DAM.TRY IT FREEFree Game Development Tools:Indie Studio PackVersion Control Agile Project ManagementGET THEM FREE