Game Developers Shifting to PC and New Consoles, Especially PS4, in Europe

In anticipation of the Game Developers Conference Europe in August, GDC has released a new "European State of the Industry" study that found that European developers are moving over to current-gen consoles and PC. But this isn't a balanced distribution across the platforms: they seem to favor the PlayStation 4 slightly over the Xbox One, with 33 percent of developers stating that they are planning on developing for the PS4, as opposed to 23 percent for the Xbox.

Some of the findings include:

• The vast majority of European developers are currently making games for the PC and mobile platforms. 58 percent of surveyed companies are currently working on a PC title, and 65 percent are developing for mobile.
• Both consoles are gaining developers, but the PS4 has the edge. Almost 20 percent are currently producing a title for the PS4 and 33 percent expect their next games to be on the console.
• In contrast, only 13 percent of surveyed developers are working on a game for the Xbox One right now, and only 23 percent expect to release their next games on the system.
• Crowdfunding is becoming an increasingly accepted form of financially supporting a game's development. A full 41 percent of all European developers surveyed are planning on using crowdfunding for future games.

GDC Europe takes place from August 11-13 in Germany. Keep an eye on GameSpot for coverage of the event when it happens next month.