More than 2600 North American developers have been surveyed in preparation for the upcoming Game Developers Conference in March. The survey polled which platforms developers are planning on making games for, and how they plan on seeking funding. Perhaps unsurprisingly, PS4 is the most popular console platform for developers, with 20% intending to make games for Sony's new console. To compare, only 17% and 4% of those surveyed said they will work on Xbox One and Wii U respectively.
PlayStation 4 Leads Among New Consoles, as Developers Flock to PC and Mobile
With the new generation of game consoles still in their infancy, 20% of developers surveyed said they intend to release their next game on Sony's PlayStation 4. That edges out Xbox One's 17% and greatly outpaces Wii U's 4%. Fourteen percent of developers said they are currently developing games for PlayStation 4, versus 12 percent for Xbox One and 4 percent for Wii U.
While PS4 has a narrow lead in the console space when it comes to developer intent, it's still lower-barrier PC and smartphone/tablet development that attracts most developers surveyed. Fifty-one percent plan to make their next game for smartphone/tablet, while 52% anticipate releasing their next game on PC/Mac.
Meanwhile, 53% of respondents are currently working on PC or Mac titles and 52% of developers are creating titles for tablet/smartphones.
Developers Are Choosing to Self-Publish Their Games
Developers polled expressed an overwhelming preference toward self-publishing their projects, with 64% of respondents not working with a publisher on their current project, versus 19% who are (17% said they work at a publisher). That self-publishing vs. publishing split is virtually the same as last year, and reflects digital distribution trends on PC and mobile platforms.
More than half of developers working on PC games!