According to Game Developer Research, the analysis arm of Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra, the average American mainstream videogame industry salary in 2009 was $75,573, a decline of more than 4% from 2008's figure of $79,000. While the 2008 figure was a record high, development studios looked to cut costs in the midst of a recession. Programmers are the highest paid talent in the industry next to high-end businesspeople. Artists, game designers, and producers followed.¹²

Notes

1. PR News Wire ↩

2. via Joystiq ↩