The global market for video‑game software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly three percent for the past four years, and analysts expect that momentum to continue for another four‑year cycle. Yet, despite the overall health of the industry, player behavior is far from adventurous.
Two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward familiar franchises or sequels, and only one in five actively looks for brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and demographics. The survey uncovered a pronounced dissatisfaction with what respondents dubbed the “unfocused middle” of the market—games that feel overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention.
To illustrate the concept, Bain & Co contrasted two recent releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences.
In contrast, Concord entered a saturated hero‑shooter space and struggled to persuade players already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to spend the full $40 price tag. The comparison underscores the advantage of targeting a specific player segment rather than trying to appeal to everyone. When the firm examined public data on 100 titles launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the hypothesis. Focused games that aimed at a distinct player type achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, while only half of the unfocused, broadly marketed titles reached comparable performance.
Player preferences for genre also appear highly fragmented. When asked which type of experience they favored—story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition—no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About 20 % said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, and 17 % indicated they prefer other or no particular genre.
The report also highlighted two powerful forces reshaping the industry: growing player demand for deeper engagement and the rapid adoption of generative AI in development pipelines. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms such as Roblox, which Bain describes as becoming 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 production, but the technology does not automatically mitigate risk. Without a clearly defined target audience, AI can simply amplify the speed at which a misguided concept reaches market. As the report puts it, "it lets you scale the wrong bet faster." Looking ahead, Bain predicts that the studios that will thrive are not necessarily those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks. Success will belong to teams that, early on, can articulate their ideal player in a single sentence and align all resources—AI, distribution, personalization—behind that vision.
Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has warmed over the past year. Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers say they feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven express increased discomfort.
The trend is especially pronounced among teens: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 report greater comfort with AI, while 33 % say their attitude 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 spokesperson noted. The firm also points out that AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audience. Emerging analytics tools can parse engagement patterns, surface what resonates with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and the community.
Personalization extends beyond analytics. Tailored offers—customized communications, targeted advertisements, and bespoke in‑game content—have been shown to boost spending, especially among younger players.
In the study, 86 % of teenagers reported spending money on gaming‑related activities each month, compared with just over half of those in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s. These activities encompass buying new games, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware purchases like consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own storefronts are also gaining traction. Nearly half of all gamers said they buy directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
The behavior is strongest among the youngest cohort, with 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reporting multiple direct purchases in the past year. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain’s Video Game sector and partner in the 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, "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."