The Game Developers Conference, or GDC for short, has just released their 2016 State of the Industry survey, and the results speak volumes about the industry perception of VR gaming. If the 2,000+ game developers surveyed are right, VR is the future..
Every year, GDC holds a survey for over 2,000 game developers, which aims to give insight into the future of the video gaming industry. In the survey, the developers are asked questions like what consoles they will be making games for and what they think about rising trends.
When asked about making a game for VR the developers surveyed that said they were making a game for the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Vive, or another headset has doubled over 2015. Last year, only seven percent of those asked were making VR games, now 16 percent are. This may sound small, but it’s the biggest jump over any other platform.
For reference, last year 26 percent of developers were working on a game that will be released on a PS4 while this year 27 percent are working with that console. Similarly, Xbox One developers comprised of 22 percent of development last year. Now, 23 percent of those surveyed are saying their next game will see a release on Xbox One.
As for the top platforms, those once again go to PC and mobile. Oddly enough, these platforms are seeing a decrease in support from developers. In 2015, 56 percent of developers were making games for PC and 50 percent were making games for mobile. This year, PC development is at 52 percent and mobile has dropped to 44 percent.
So what does all of this mean? It shows that there is a growing interest in making games for VR. This is also mirrored by the fact that a whopping 75 percent of those surveyed think that making VR/AR games is going to be a sustainable long-term business.
The biggest difference in opinion about VR becoming big is regarding adoption rates. Right now, the GDC survey reports that roughly 40 percent of all U.S. homes has a gaming console. When asked what year this adoption rate will become a reality for VR, 54 percent of developers thinks it will happen by 2030. Unfortunately, 27 percent of those surveyed don’t think it will ever happen.
There are some other interesting statistics found within the State of the Industry survey that aren’t about VR as well. The most interesting one is 88 percent of developers think that eSports is a viable long-term business. This is up from the 79 percent of developers who thought so last year. All those Dota tournaments must have really changed some minds.
So what do you think? Do you agree with the developers surveyed that you think VR will stick around for years? Do you think it’s all just a fad that will blow over? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
