The global market for gaming software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly 3 percent over the past four years, and analysts expect that momentum to continue for the next four-year cycle. Despite this healthy overall growth, player behavior reveals a striking reluctance to explore unfamiliar experiences.
According to Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report – which gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a broad range of regions – about two‑thirds of players stick with titles they already know, such as sequels or familiar franchises, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new releases. Survey participants voiced a common frustration with what the firm calls the "unfocused middle" of the market. These are games that aim for broad appeal but end up feeling generic, safe, and shallow, lacking a distinctive identity that would capture attention.
To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co compared two recent releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience of role‑playing enthusiasts, delivering deep narrative and complex mechanics that resonated strongly with that group. In contrast, the shooter 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.
When the researchers examined public data for 100 titles launched since 2023, they discovered a stark disparity in commercial outcomes. Focused games – those that targeted a specific player archetype or niche – achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, whereas only half of the unfocused, broadly aimed titles reached similar financial performance. This suggests that precision in audience definition is a far more reliable predictor of profitability than sheer budget size or marketing reach. Player preferences for genre and gameplay style also appear highly fragmented.
When asked to choose between story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content experiences, and multiplayer‑centric games, no single category captured more than 26 % of votes. About 20 % of respondents indicated that their choice varies with mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while another 17 % selected "none of the above" or mentioned other, less common game types. The report identified two major forces reshaping the industry today: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are devoting more of their playtime to a narrower set of platforms, with Roblox highlighted as a focal point that has become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years.
This concentration of attention amplifies the risk for developers who spread resources across too many disparate projects. On the AI front, Bain & Co observed that studios are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines, create assets, and even prototype gameplay concepts. However, the firm warns that AI does not eliminate risk unless it is applied to a well‑defined player target.
As one analyst put it, "it lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The companies that are likely to 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 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 respondents said they feel more comfortable with the industry’s use of AI than they did a year ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. Acceptance is especially high among the 13‑to‑17 age group, where 59 % reported greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view stayed the same. Bain & Co’s senior partner Anders Christofferson emphasized that studios worried about reputational risk should see a window of opportunity: "For studios concerned that AI adoption could alienate their player base, the data suggests the window to move is open, particularly with the audiences who will define the market over the next decade." Beyond perception, AI offers concrete benefits for understanding and engaging players. A growing suite of analytics tools can examine engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target audience, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and communities.
These capabilities enable highly personalized experiences, from bespoke in‑game offers and tailored communications to individualized advertising and content recommendations. Personalization appears to drive spending, especially among teenagers. The report found that 86 % of gamers aged 13‑17 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" here refers to purchases such as new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips—not hardware like consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores also play a notable role. Nearly half of all respondents said they buy directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. This behavior is most pronounced among the youngest cohort, with 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reporting multiple direct purchases in the past year.
Christofferson summed 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 personalization alike."