Amir Satvat founded ASGC, a free project that helps people in the gaming industry find work. As part of the project, Amir tracks layoffs and hiring across the industry. He first published his salary estimate on his personal LinkedIn. It is based on data from the ASGC community, which includes tens of thousands of people.
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According to Amir’s estimate, from November 2022 to October 2026, nominal salaries in the gaming industry for specialists with comparable experience fell by about 13%.
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Adjusted for US inflation, the purchasing power of those salaries fell 23% over the same period.
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According to Amir, the main reason is that companies hire people with roughly three more years of experience into comparable roles than before. And they pay them practically the same. So nominal salaries stay flat, but pay per year of experience is falling.
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Amir looked into this because he’s asked most often whether people lose money when they find a new job after a layoff. According to him, many do. Whether AI plays a role is too early to say.
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In North America, more than 75% of open roles are in expensive locations. Amir believes that, given housing costs, the 23% decline is likely understated.
❗️Amir notes that the studies below show nominal salary declines, without adjusting for experience. They cover different samples and periods, so they only confirm the trend’s direction.
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According to GDC’s 2025 US survey, 25% of developers rehired after a layoff now earn at least 10% less.
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In Skillsearch’s 2026 Games & Immersive survey, 46% of those who found a new job earn less than before.
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According to InGame Job and Values Value, from 2024 to 2025, median salaries for senior specialists in the EU, the UK, and Switzerland fell 15% for artists and designers and 8% for programmers.
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GameSoundCon reports that for game audio specialists in the US and Canada with up to two years of experience, the median salary fell 6% from 2023 to 2025.
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In Poland, according to the Polish Gamedev Salary Report 2025, compensation at outsourcing and subcontracting companies fell 7% compared to 2024. That report, however, also counts the taxes the employer pays.
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Amir believes it matters not only whether a person finds a new job after a layoff. It also matters how much they are really worth per year of experience.
❗️That said, I don’t really agree with this approach. At work, you are paid for doing your job, not for having held a certain position for many years.
