The global market for video‑game software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly 3 % over the last four years, and analysts expect that momentum to continue for at least another four‑year horizon. Yet, despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behaviour is heavily skewed toward the familiar. According to Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report – which gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a wide range of regions – about two‑thirds of players gravitate toward titles they already know, such as sequels or established franchises, while only one in five actively seeks out a brand‑new game. Survey participants expressed a particular frustration with what they termed the “unfocused middle” of the market: games that feel overly generic, safe, and shallow, offering little that distinguishes them from the crowd.
To illustrate this sentiment, Bain & Co contrasted the reception of two recent releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep role‑playing experiences, whereas the hero‑shooter Concord entered a saturated segment and struggled to persuade players, many of whom were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems, to part with a $40 price tag. When the consultancy examined public performance data for 100 titles launched since 2023, the pattern was stark.
Focused games – those designed for a specific player archetype – achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, while only half of the unfocused, broadly targeted titles managed to turn a profit. This underscores the growing importance of precise market positioning in an industry where genre preferences are increasingly fragmented. The report asked gamers to pick their preferred style of play – narrative‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences with user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition.
No single category captured more than 26 % of votes, indicating that tastes are spread thinly across multiple formats. About one‑fifth of respondents said their choice depends on mood or that the categories are roughly equal for them, and another 17 % either selected “none of the above” or mentioned other, less common game types.
Bain & Co also identified two major forces reshaping the sector: rising player demand for deeper experiences and the rapid adoption of generative AI in development pipelines. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms – Roblox being a prime example – which the firm describes as having become the "centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate content creation, level design, and even narrative scripting.
However, the consultancy warns that technology alone does not mitigate risk. Without a clearly defined target audience, AI can simply amplify a misguided bet, "scaling the wrong bet faster," as Bain & Co phrased it. The firms that will thrive, the report argues, are not necessarily 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 attitudes toward AI in game development have softened over the past year.
In the survey, 42 % of respondents said they feel more comfortable with the industry’s use of AI than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % reported no change, and fewer than one in seven indicated decreased comfort. Acceptance is especially high among the youngest cohort: 59 % of gamers aged 13‑17 said they are more at ease with AI now, while 33 % said their opinion remained unchanged.
"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," said a Bain & Co spokesperson. The firm also highlighted that AI can provide developers with richer insights into player behaviour. Emerging analytics tools can dissect engagement patterns, surface what resonates with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and communities.
These capabilities enable highly personalised experiences – from custom marketing messages to tailored in‑game offers – that can boost monetisation. Bain & Co found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among teenagers. In fact, 86 % of teens 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 activities" encompass purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets.
Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores are also on the rise. Nearly half of all gamers said they buy directly from a studio at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. The trend is most pronounced among the youngest players: 40 % of those aged 13‑17 reported making multiple direct purchases in the past twelve months. Anders Christofferson, global lead of Bain & Co’s Video Game sector and partner in its Media & Entertainment practice, summed up the strategic implication: "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." He added that studios pulling ahead are those that have deliberately chosen who they are building for and aligned every resource – from AI tools to distribution channels to personalization strategies – behind that single, focused answer.