The global market for gaming 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 at least another four‑year period. Despite this healthy financial outlook, player behavior reveals a striking reluctance to explore fresh titles. According to Bain & Company’s most recent annual Gaming Report – a survey that gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a wide range of regions – two‑thirds of players say they gravitate toward familiar franchises or sequels, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new games. Survey participants voiced a particular frustration with what the firm describes as the "unfocused middle" of the market.
These are games that play it safe, offering generic mechanics and shallow experiences that fail to differentiate themselves. To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co highlighted the divergent receptions of two recent releases: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Concord. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by deliberately targeting a narrow, well‑defined audience that craved deep role‑playing elements, whereas Concord entered a saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players already committed to free‑to‑play ecosystems to spend a full $40 on the title. When the researchers examined public performance data for 100 games launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the importance of focus.
Eighty‑three percent of titles that were built for a specific player archetype achieved commercial success, compared with just fifty percent of games that took a broader, less defined approach. This suggests that clarity of purpose – knowing exactly who you are making the game for – is a stronger predictor of revenue than sheer budget size or marketing spend. Player preferences across genres are also highly fragmented. When asked to choose between story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences with user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer, no single category attracted more than 26 percent of respondents.
About one‑fifth of gamers indicated that their choice depends on mood or that they treat the three categories as roughly equal, while 17 percent either selected "other" or expressed no clear preference at all. The data paints a picture of a diverse audience whose tastes cannot be captured by a one‑size‑fits‑all strategy. The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: rising player demand for deeper engagement and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their time on a smaller set of platforms – notably Roblox – which Bain & Co describes as having become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years.
This concentration amplifies the importance of delivering experiences that resonate with specific communities rather than casting a wide net. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines.
However, Bain cautions that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless it is applied to a well‑targeted product. As the firm put it, AI "lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The analysts argue that the studios that will thrive in the coming years will not necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks, but those that commit early to a clear, single‑sentence player definition and align every resource – from technology to distribution – around that vision. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has warmed noticeably over the last twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of respondents said they feel more comfortable with AI usage in the industry than they did a year ago, another 44 percent said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. Acceptance is especially high among teenagers: 59 percent of players aged 13‑17 reported greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 percent said their view stayed the same. Bain & Co interprets these findings as a signal that the window for studios to adopt AI responsibly is wide open, particularly for the demographic that will shape the market over the next decade. The firm notes that AI can also serve as a powerful analytics engine, helping developers uncover engagement patterns, pinpoint what resonates with a target audience, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players.
This capability extends to personalized marketing – tailored messages, ads, and in‑game offers that speak directly to individual preferences. Personalization appears to drive spending, especially among younger gamers. Eighty‑six percent of teenagers reported making at least one gaming‑related purchase each month, compared with just over half of players in their 50s, 36 percent of those in their 60s, and 27 percent of those in their 70s.
These purchases encompass new games, downloadable content, subscription services, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. The report further reveals that nearly half of all gamers buy directly from a developer’s own web store at least once a year, and 27 percent do so repeatedly. The trend is most pronounced among the 13‑17 age group, where 40 percent reported multiple direct purchases in the past twelve months. "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," said Anders Christofferson, global lead of Bain & Co’s Video Game sector and partner in its Media & Entertainment practice. 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 behind that answer; AI, distribution, and personalisation alike."