Global revenue from video‑game software has risen at an average compound annual growth rate of roughly 3 % over the last four years, and analysts expect that momentum to persist for another four‑year cycle. Despite this steady expansion, player behavior remains heavily tilted toward the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate to established franchises or sequels, while merely 20 % actively seek out brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and demographics.
The survey uncovered a pronounced dissatisfaction with what respondents dubbed the “unfocused middle” of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention. To illustrate the contrast, Bain compared the market reception of two recent releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by zeroing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences.
In contrast, Concord entered an already saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players who were accustomed to free‑to‑play models to spend a $40 premium price. This case study underscores the report’s central thesis: specificity wins. Analyzing public performance data for 100 titles launched since 2023, Bain found that 83 % of games that were deliberately aimed at a particular player archetype achieved commercial success, versus just 50 % of titles with a more diffuse, unfocused approach.
The data suggest that a clear, well‑defined target audience dramatically improves the odds of a profitable launch. Player preferences for genre also appear fragmented. When asked which type of experience they favored—story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer—no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About one‑fifth of gamers said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they either prefer other types of games or could not specify a preference.
The report also highlights two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a narrower set of platforms, with Roblox singled out as a focal point that has become “the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem” over the past five years. Regarding AI, Bain notes that developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines.
However, the firm warns that without a clearly defined player persona, AI merely amplifies the speed of a mis‑targeted bet: “it lets you scale the wrong bet faster.” The analysts argue that the studios that will thrive in the coming years won’t be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks, but those that commit early to building for a player they can describe in a single sentence. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has softened over the last twelve months. Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers reported feeling more comfortable with AI usage than a year ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort.
The shift is especially pronounced among younger cohorts: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 indicated greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view was unchanged. “Studios worried about reputational risk from AI should see a window of opportunity,” Bain’s analysts wrote.
“The audiences that will shape the market over the next decade are already more accepting.” They also point out that AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences. Emerging analytics tools can parse engagement patterns, surface the content that resonates most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players.
Personalisation is another lever that the report finds increasingly effective. Tailored communications, bespoke advertisements, and custom in‑game content can boost spending, particularly among teenagers. In Bain’s data, 86 % of players aged 13‑17 reported spending money on gaming‑related activities each month, compared with just over 50 % of those in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s. These activities encompass buying new titles, purchasing in‑game items or subscriptions, and tipping streamers, but exclude hardware purchases such as consoles or VR headsets.
Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores also feature prominently. Nearly half of all gamers reported buying directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % said they do so repeatedly.
The propensity for direct buying is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of players aged 13‑17 made multiple direct purchases in the past year. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain’s Video Game practice and partner in the Media & Entertainment group, summed up the strategic implication: “The question for gaming executives is no longer solely about reaching more players.
It’s about reaching the right players, in the right way, and gaining greater ownership of that relationship.” He added, “The studios pulling ahead are the ones that have made a deliberate choice about who they are building for and are aligning every resource—AI, distribution, personalisation—behind that answer.”