European studio expenditure on external talent rises 63% in 2025

GamesIndustry.biz reports that European studios increased expenditure on external roles by 63% in 2025, ahead of the 55% global growth rate. The data comes from Values Value founder and InGame Job co-founder Tanja Loktionova’s Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry report, which also shows freelancer collaboration with European studios up 24% last year.

For teams, the headline is less about a temporary hiring spike and more about how production is being structured. Loktionova argues the market is settling into a two-tier model: a small core of directors, lead architects, and franchise stewards with better long-term compensation, while the rest of the workforce is increasingly brought in for specific sprints or phases.

The broader labor picture remains rough. Nearly 60% of studios say they struggle to find qualified specialists, while 54.1% of freelancers have trouble finding suitable projects. Average freelancer income rose 19% globally, but nearly 63% still worry about income stability, and 30% of respondents experienced layoffs in the past year.

The report also suggests morale and retention are under strain. Half of respondents expect to change jobs within six months, fewer than half are satisfied with their current roles, and only 26% feel they are growing professionally. On top of that, 61% of European developers worry generative AI will push them to work faster, while 35% fear it could reduce demand for their role.