With the entire gaming industry in dire straits in 2024, the idea that seems to be strengthening everyone is that it will return to growth next year. Game backend provider Metaplay today revealed a new report, which shows how optimistic the industry is – at least on a macro level – that this will happen. In fact, according to a report by Metaplay, 77% of developers surveyed are optimistic that 2025 will bring a Renaissance for gaming.

Metaplay’s report contains findings from 150 tech leads and C-suite studios that make games with Unity. In addition to the aforementioned 77%, the report shows that 90% of devs say they plan to launch a game in 2025. 71% believe that 2025 will have fewer layoffs and studio closures (even given that how high will the number of layoffs be in 2024. so, reduction is not a difficult task to accomplish), and 76% expect more to be available for publishing deals.

One of the main topics of the report is the outlook for the year. The majority of developers surveyed believe that 2025 will have wider game distribution (71%), greater revenue from live service titles (75%) and lower costs of progress (63%). 75% also believe they have better access to high-end tooling, which also reduces development costs.

We “survived until 25” – now what?

Like the desire of the games industry to return to growth, it also follows the motto, “Survive ’til 2025” under the belief that this year will be more favorable for the industry than its predecessor. As stated above, most developers say they plan to launch a new game this year, while 53% of those who don’t say they want to focus on existing titles.

Teemu Haila, Metaplay CTO and co-founder, said in a statement, “Our findings show that LiveOps, cross-platform development, and external technology are at the heart of the Game Development Renaissance. The Renaissance is more in a catchy title. This is a shift in the way the game is developed. It represents an era where studios no longer have to rely on raw numbers to achieve growth. THE progress is achieved through smarter tools, stronger teams, and sharper strategy.

John Wright, Kwalee’s VP of mobile games, added to the report, “The biggest successes in 2024 didn’t come from new games – they came from LiveOps. If you look at the top 100 -grossing games today, most of which are over four years old. We used to call them ‘evergreen’ games, but now, they have become ‘forever games’ that can stay relevant for seven to ten years. That’s a big shift. LiveOps is at the center of change, and just one sign of the changing attitudes that fueled the mobile games industry.