Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write: Nearly one-third of non-U.S. game developers have cancelled plans to travel to America because of immigration and gender identity policies.

Let that sink in. The country that gave us E3, GDC, and basically pioneered the modern gaming industry is now a place international developers are actively avoiding.

According to the same GDC survey that revealed the brutal layoff statistics, 28% of international game developers have scrapped their U.S. travel plans. We're not talking about tourism here. We're talking about industry conferences. Collaboration opportunities. Face-to-face meetings with publishers and partners. The kind of networking that actually moves careers forward.

And why? Because developers are genuinely concerned about immigration enforcement and policies targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. This isn't paranoia—it's a rational response to a changing political climate.

Think about what this means for GDC 2026. For PAX. For any major gaming event held on American soil. You're potentially missing a third of the international talent pool because people don't feel safe crossing the border. That's not just bad optics—that's a fundamental breakdown in global collaboration.

Gaming has always been international. Some of the best studios in the world are in Poland, Japan, South Korea, Finland, Canada. American companies routinely work with teams across multiple continents. Hell, most AAA games have credits that read like a United Nations roster. This industry depends on open borders and free movement of talent.

But now? Developers are doing the math and deciding it's not worth the risk. Maybe border agents will give them trouble. Maybe their gender presentation will cause issues. Maybe they'll get detained for hours over a work visa technicality. Or maybe—and this is the worst part—maybe nothing will happen, but the anxiety of not knowing isn't worth it.

I've been to GDC. I've seen the hallways packed with developers from every corner of the planet, swapping stories about their projects, talking shop, making connections. That's where the magic happens. That's where a random conversation leads to a job offer, or a collaboration, or just inspiration for your next game.

Take that away, and you don't just hurt international developers. You hurt American developers too. You hurt the entire ecosystem.

And let's be clear: this isn't affecting everyone equally. LGBTQ+ developers, developers of color, developers from certain countries—they're the ones calculating the risk and deciding it's too high. The industry's already struggling with diversity. This makes it worse.

Some will say this is just politics bleeding into gaming. But here's the thing: gaming has always been political. The question is whether we build an industry that's welcoming and collaborative, or one that's insular and afraid.

Right now, we're choosing the latter. And the consequences—missed collaborations, cancelled projects, talent that goes elsewhere—are just beginning.

Would I speedrun getting through U.S. customs as an international dev right now? Honestly, I wouldn't blame anyone for just staying home.