Mellow Research: Freelancing in Game Development

We surveyed more than a thousand game dev freelancers from the UK and the US – artists, coders, producers, and managers – and combined that with our platform data from more than 2,000 contractors and 150 studios worldwide. The research was conducted in March – April 2026.
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Key findings.
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• 91% of freelance professionals earn more than they did in full-time employment – and of those, 62% earn at least 50% more. Platform data puts the average monthly income in game dev at €1,900, up 19% over the year.
• 95% of respondents say their lives improved after going independent, and for 64%, the improvement was significant. The freedom to choose projects, set their own schedule, and work from anywhere in the world all made a difference.
• Only 15% turned to freelancing after a layoff. The rest made a deliberate choice: 67% either transitioned out of employment gradually or started an independent career from day one. Multi-studio collaboration has become the norm, too – 72% work with three or more studios at once.
• 36.5% want to open their own studio or agency, and another 14.3% want to release their own game. Half of respondents are moving toward running their own business – not back to an office.
• The broader industry is changing as well. Studio spending on freelancers grew 55% globally and 63% in Europe. The number of contractors increased 24% in Europe and 21% worldwide, with short-term contracts of one to three months growing fastest – up 33–44%.
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GamesBeat and Pocket Gamer.biz both covered the research:

95% of game dev freelancers report a better life after going independent

European studios increased freelance spending 63% in 2025 as hiring shifts toward contract work

The full report is available for download.

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