3 studios in 1 year, is this normal?

Question

Hey guys, I'm a junior 3D Env artist, and I'm wondering if this is how the industry is in general. I graduated a year ago, and thankfully have managed to stay employed, but I've been through 3 different studios in that timeframe and it seems like a lot in such little time.

For context, I was an intern in indie studio 1 and I got a job offer from them for 6 months. Then when that contract was almost over I jumped at an opportunity to work at a studio that works on AAA projects. I thought I'd be there for 1 or 2 years, but only managed 5 months before they told me they couldn't afford to keep me (I was on a test contract, after which they would offer a full benefits contract). I'm still unsure if it was something I did, but they seemed pretty direct in citing lack of funds and few projects as the official reason. Then thankfully some coworkers connected me with the studio I'm at right now, but it's a freelance 2-3 month gig, and then its back to job hunting.

I'm just wondering if this is how the games industry is? I know this is apparently a super shitty time in the industry, but I was hoping to hear from some more experienced gamedevs and their experience when job hopping.

Posted Apr 8, 2026, 2:49 AM UTC

4616
Loading comments…