The worldwide 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 this momentum to persist for another four‑year horizon. Despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behavior reveals a striking preference for the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward existing franchises or sequels, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new titles.
These insights come from Bain & Company's latest annual Gaming Report, which collected responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and demographics. The survey uncovered a pervasive sense of disappointment with what the firm describes as the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, failing to stand out in an increasingly crowded landscape. To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co examined the reception 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 experiences, whereas *Concord* entered a saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players already committed to free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag. This case study underscores the broader pattern identified in the report.
When the firm analyzed publicly available data for 100 titles launched since 2023, it discovered that 83 % of games that pursued a specific player segment achieved commercial success, compared with just 50 % of titles that took a broader, less focused approach. The data suggest that precision in audience targeting is a far stronger predictor of financial performance than sheer budget size or production scale.
Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When respondents were asked to choose their favorite type of experience—story‑driven narratives, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer—no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote.
About one‑fifth of gamers said their preferences were roughly equal across categories or depended on their mood at the time, and another 17 % indicated they favored niche or “other” types of games. The report highlights two major forces reshaping the industry today: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence.
Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms such as Roblox, which Bain & Co describes as having become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem over the past five years." This concentration intensifies competition for attention and underscores the importance of delivering highly tailored experiences. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, the firm warns that without a clear target audience, AI can merely amplify the speed of a misguided bet: "it 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 can articulate their ideal player in a single, concise sentence and align every resource—AI, distribution, personalization—around that vision.
Player sentiment toward AI in game development has softened over the past twelve months. Forty‑two percent of respondents now feel more comfortable with AI usage than they did a year ago, 44 % say their attitude is unchanged, and fewer than one in seven express increased discomfort. Acceptance is especially pronounced among teenagers: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 report greater comfort with AI, while 33 % say their view remains the same.
"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," a Bain & Co spokesperson noted. The firm also points out that AI can deepen developers' understanding of their audiences.
Emerging analytics tools can dissect engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players. These capabilities enable highly personalized marketing and content strategies, ranging from custom in‑game offers to tailored communications and advertisements. Bain & Co found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among younger cohorts.
Eighty‑six percent of teenagers reported spending money on gaming‑related activities 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 purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and tips for streamers, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. The report also revealed that nearly half of all gamers buy directly from developers' own web stores at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
This direct‑to‑consumer behavior is most pronounced among the youngest segment: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases in the past year. "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."