Entering UX design from another design field?

I'm looking for some career advice from people working in UX or product design.

I started my career as an illustrator, but over time I've found myself working as a graphic artist in a very niche corner of the entertainment industry: slot machine game development. A lot of my work involves designing game interfaces, feature presentations, player-facing information, icons, meters, and other visual elements. In some ways, I feel like I'm closer to an illustrative UI designer than a traditional illustrator.

The industry has treated me well, but I'm concerned about how transferable my experience is if I ever want to move into a different field. Lately I've become interested in UX design and product design because they seem to offer broader opportunities across industries.

My questions are:

• Is moving into UX/product design still a good career move in 2026?
• How difficult would it be to transition from a visual design background like mine?
• Are companies generally interested in candidates coming from gaming/slot machine design, or would I essentially be starting over?
• If you made a similar transition, what skills or portfolio pieces helped you make the jump?

I'd appreciate any honest feedback, especially from people currently working in UX or product design.