Game Developer Research’s annual “State of Game Development Survey” revealed that the PC and Mac are the most popular game development platforms. Surprising, no? Actually, it’s not when you consider that social games (i.e. Facebook games) and browser games were lumped into the mix. As for consoles, the Xbox 360 still leads the way. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Just over 70 percent of developers said they were developing at least one game for PC or Mac (including browser and social games), rising slightly from last year, with 41 percent working in consoles. Within that latter group, Xbox 360 was the most popular system with 69 percent of console developers targeting it, followed by 61 percent for PlayStation 3.

On the handheld front, developers are flocking to the iPhone and iPod Touch platform, leaving the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable in the dust. It’s not surprising really. Facebook, browser, and iPhone games are cheaper to make than traditional console games. The market is relatively new and the players are still being established. There are more opportunities in these markets for new(er) developers and publishers.