Industry job cuts and studio closures have dominated headlines to start 2026, but consumer wallets tell a different story: US spending on video games increased year-on-year in January. The rise in sales comes amid an atmosphere of cancellations, layoffs and uncertainty across development teams.

  • January 2026 saw higher consumer spending on video games in the US compared with the same month last year.
  • The increase comes despite an ongoing wave of layoffs, project cancellations and studio shutdowns affecting developers.
  • Rising revenue does not appear to have translated into job security for many industry employees.
  • Observers will be watching whether the spending uptick continues or if the industry’s corporate belt-tightening affects future consumer-facing releases.

Source: Eurogamer

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