Xbox is slipping for more than just players. A new GDC survey suggests developer interest in Xbox Series X|S has dropped sharply. The result is an ugly comparison: the platform now sits closer to mobile in popularity than to PlayStation 5 or Switch 2.

Xbox‘s “sales aren’t as important” approach is starting to boomerang. Interest in buying an Xbox Series X|S has fallen noticeably over recent years, something Xbox‘s latest fiscal-quarter figures also point to. And that cooling sentiment around Xbox Series X|S is now showing up on the developer side too, dragging the platform down toward the same popularity tier as mobile devices.

Developers Are Turning Their Backs on Xbox

According to the latest “State of the Gaming Industry” survey from the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which polled more than 2,300 industry professionals, interest in developing for Xbox Series X|S has effectively been cut in half compared to its direct rivals, as highlighted by VGC. In the same survey, 40% of respondents said they were interested in building for PlayStation 5, while 39% pointed to Switch 2.

Only 20% of developers still list Microsoft‘s console as a platform they’re interested in. That’s a brutal swing, considering previous surveys showed 40% of these developers had shipped games on Xbox and wanted to keep doing so. Now Microsoft‘s console is sitting at a popularity level similar to mobile platforms like iOS or Android (16%), while PC remains the clear favorite with 80% of developers selecting it.

One likely factor is Xbox‘s multiplatform strategy, since major formerly exclusive titles like Fable and Forza Horizon 6 are set to arrive on PlayStation 5 as well. Either way, developers say the most decisive platform factor is audience reach (78%), followed by the success of a platform’s business model (44%) and discoverability (43%).

On the handheld front, the Steam Deck also topped the survey, with 40% of developers expressing interest, massively ahead of options like the ROG Xbox Ally (7%). In a market where visibility and commercial results are getting harder to guarantee, developers are choosing safer bets – and that leaves Xbox in a shaky spot where its hardware seems to be losing its pull. And this isn’t the only rough headline Xbox has dealt with lately: we recently reported that a new Windows 11 update is causing serious issues for some users.

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