The global market for video‑game software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly three percent over the last four years, and analysts expect that momentum to continue for the next four‑year cycle. Yet, despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behavior tells a different story: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward familiar franchises or sequels, while only one out of every five actively looks for brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s most recent annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and demographics.
The survey asked participants to describe their attitudes toward the current game landscape and to evaluate recent releases they had played. One recurring theme was a clear dissatisfaction with what the report calls the "unfocused middle" of the market.
Respondents described many recent releases as overly generic, safe, and shallow—games that fail to differentiate themselves or to offer a compelling reason to choose them over the countless alternatives available. To illustrate this point, Bain & Co contrasted the market reception of two very different products: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Concord.
Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by honing in on a highly specific audience: fans of deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences who appreciate complex character development and rich storytelling. By tailoring its design and marketing to that niche, the title generated strong word‑of‑mouth buzz and robust sales. In contrast, Concord entered a crowded hero‑shooter segment that is already saturated with free‑to‑play options. The game struggled to persuade players who were already invested in free titles to spend a full $40 on a new purchase, highlighting the risk of launching a product without a clear, differentiated player profile.
Bain’s analysis of public data on 100 games released since 2023 reinforced this observation. Of the titles that were deliberately focused on a specific player type, a striking 83 % achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the unfocused, broadly‑targeted games met their revenue expectations. This gap underscores the strategic advantage of knowing exactly who you are building for and aligning every development decision with that audience.
Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When asked which experience they preferred—story‑driven adventures, open sandbox environments with user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition—no single category captured more than 26 % of respondents. About one‑fifth of gamers said their preference varied depending on mood or the specific game in question, and another 17 % either selected "none of the above" or listed other, less common game types.
This dispersion suggests that a one‑size‑fits‑all approach is increasingly ineffective. The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player demand for deeper, more personalized experiences, and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence in game development. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a smaller set of platforms, with Roblox cited as a prime example.
Bain describes Roblox as having become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years, reflecting how a single platform can dominate player attention and spending. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate content creation, prototype design, and even narrative generation.
However, Bain cautions that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless the underlying player target is well defined. As the report puts it, AI "lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firms that will thrive, according to Bain’s senior analysts, are not necessarily those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks.
Instead, they will be the studios that, early on, commit to building for a clearly described player—a persona that can be summed up in a single sentence. Player sentiment toward AI in game production has become more positive over the past year.
Forty‑two percent of respondents indicated they feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % reported no change, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. The trend is especially pronounced among younger gamers: 59 % of participants aged 13‑17 said they are now more comfortable with AI, while 33 % said their view remained unchanged. Bain’s Anders Christofferson, global lead for the firm’s Video Game sector, interprets these findings as a clear signal for studios: "For studios worried that AI adoption carries reputational risk with their player base, this data suggests the window to move is open, particularly with the audiences who will define the market over the next decade." Beyond risk mitigation, AI offers concrete benefits for understanding and engaging players. A growing toolbox of analytics solutions can dissect engagement patterns, surface the features that resonate most with a target demographic, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and their communities.
These capabilities enable highly personalized marketing—customized communications, targeted advertisements, and content recommendations tailored to individual preferences. Such personalization appears to drive spending, especially among teenage gamers. Bain found that 86 % of teenagers reported making at least one gaming‑related purchase each month, compared with just over half of players in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s. Gaming‑related expenditures encompass new game purchases, downloadable content, subscription services, and tips for streamers, but they exclude hardware like consoles or VR headsets.
Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores also play a significant role. Nearly half of all gamers reported buying directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % said they do so repeatedly. This behavior is most common among younger players: 40 % of respondents aged 13‑17 reported multiple direct purchases in the past twelve months. Christofferson sums up the strategic implication for industry leaders: "The question for gaming executives is no longer solely about reaching more players.
It's reaching the right players, in the right way, and getting more ownership over that relationship. The studios pulling ahead are the ones that have made a deliberate choice about who they are building for and are aligning every resource behind that answer; AI, distribution, and personalisation alike."