Is the Games Industry Slowly Becoming the Film Industry?

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion around changing working structures in games. Layoffs, contracting, project-based hiring, fixed-term contracts and freelance work have all become increasingly common topics of conversation. For some people, these shifts feel uncomfortable. For others, they feel like warning signs. Personally, I think they are something else entirely.

I think they are signs of the industry maturing.

The reality is that games has always been somewhat unusual compared to other creative and media industries. Film, television, animation, advertising and even large areas of software development moved away from the idea of spending an entire career at one company a long time ago. Portfolio careers became normal. Project-based work became normal. Following opportunities from production to production became normal. Games, however, remained heavily tied to permanent employment and studio loyalty for far longer.

Part of that makes complete sense. Games development is deeply workstation-based. Projects are technically complex, pipelines are lengthy and studios historically benefitted from retaining large teams across multiple projects. Unlike a film set, where large portions of a crew may only be needed for specific stages of production, games studios often kept those specialists employed throughout entire development cycles. But as budgets have increased, timelines have stretched and studios have become more conscious of costs, it feels increasingly clear that the industry is beginning to move towards a model that many other creative sectors adopted years ago.

Whether people are happy about it or not, the transition towards more project-based working feels less like a temporary trend and more like an inevitability.

Project-Based Work Already Exists, We Just Pretend It Doesn't

One of the biggest misconceptions in games is that projects are somehow fundamentally different to film productions. In reality, they follow surprisingly similar structures.

A game enters early concepting and pre-production. Teams explore mechanics, art direction, technical requirements and creative vision. It then moves into full production, where staffing requirements increase dramatically as the project scales. Eventually the game reaches launch, followed by post-launch support, live operations, expansions or maintenance work.

Film production follows a remarkably similar pattern.

The difference is that film has spent decades refining who needs to be involved at each stage. You do not have actors sitting on set throughout the entire production schedule waiting for scenes to be filmed. You do not have concept artists still working once principal photography is complete. You do not keep large groups of specialists employed when there is no immediate need for their expertise.

People come in when their skills are required, contribute to the project and then move onto the next production.

Games has historically been less efficient in this regard. Teams often remain static throughout much of development regardless of actual production needs. As budgets tighten and studios become more disciplined with spending, it feels increasingly likely that games will adopt a similar approach to film, bringing specialists into projects when they are needed rather than maintaining every discipline throughout the entire development cycle.

That does not necessarily mean fewer jobs. In many cases it could mean more opportunities spread across a wider number of projects, with people moving between productions rather than remaining tied to a single studio indefinitely.

Contract Structures Are Becoming More Important

If project-based work becomes more common, contract structures naturally become more important as well.

For many industries this is completely normal. Film crews, television production staff, marketing specialists, VFX artists and consultants have operated this way for years. They move between projects, build networks, develop reputations and establish careers that are defined by the work they have delivered rather than the logo on their business card.

Games has traditionally lagged behind in this area, but the shift is already happening.

More studios are exploring fixed-term contracts. More companies are using specialist contractors to support key development phases. More candidates are becoming comfortable with moving between projects rather than expecting a single long-term employer to provide career stability indefinitely.

That does not mean permanent employment disappears. Far from it. Core leadership, technical direction and long-term strategic positions will always exist. But it does mean that contract work is likely to become a much larger part of the overall ecosystem.

The people who are prepared for that change will be the ones who benefit most. Having the right company structure, understanding contracting finances, building professional networks and becoming comfortable with project-based employment are all skills that are likely to become increasingly valuable over the next decade.

Specialist Freelancers Stand to Benefit the Most

Perhaps the biggest winners in a more project-driven industry are specialists.

AAA development already leans heavily towards specialisation. Some artists focus entirely on foliage. Others spend years becoming experts in materials, lighting, character hair, procedural tools or destruction systems. Engineering is no different. There are developers whose expertise sits in incredibly specific areas of technology that only a handful of studios may require at any one time.

Historically, those specialists often needed to find permanent homes where their niche skillset could be consistently utilised.

Contract culture changes that dynamic completely.

Instead of waiting for a suitable permanent opportunity to appear, specialists can move between projects that require exactly what they do best. A studio may only need a particular expert for six months, but another project across the world may need the same expertise immediately afterwards.

This creates a much more fluid marketplace for elite-level talent.

At the same time, it places greater importance on maintaining a strong portfolio. In a project-driven world, your body of work becomes increasingly important because it is the evidence that allows you to move seamlessly between opportunities. The stronger and more specialised that portfolio becomes, the more valuable you become within the wider ecosystem.

For highly skilled specialists, that is a hugely exciting prospect.

Final Thoughts

None of this is an argument that games should become identical to film. The industries are different and always will be. Nor is it an argument that permanent employment should disappear. There will always be studios, projects and people that benefit from long-term stability.

What it does suggest, however, is that the direction of travel is becoming increasingly clear.

The games industry is slowly adopting many of the structures that other creative industries have used successfully for decades. Project-based work, contract hiring and specialist freelance talent are becoming more common every year. For some people that will feel uncomfortable. For others, it will open doors that simply did not exist before.

Either way, it feels less like a temporary adjustment and more like the next stage in the industry's evolution