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 anticipate that this trajectory will persist for the next four-year period. Yet, despite this healthy financial backdrop, player behavior reveals a strong 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 gathered 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 calls the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention. To illustrate this phenomenon, Bain compared the reception of two recent releases: *Baldur’s Gate 3* and *Concord*.
*Baldur’s Gate 3* succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep role‑playing experiences, whereas *Concord* entered a saturated hero‑shooter space and struggled to persuade players already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag. When Bain examined public data for 100 titles launched since 2023, the results were striking: 83 % of games that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success, compared with just 50 % of titles that took a broader, unfocused approach. Player preferences for genre also appear highly fragmented.
When respondents were asked which type of experience they favored—story‑driven narratives, open sandbox or user‑generated worlds, or multiplayer competition—no single category attracted more than 26 % of the vote. About 20 % said their choice varied depending on mood or that they considered the categories roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they preferred other or no particular type of game.
The report also highlighted two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are devoting more of their playtime to a limited set of platforms, with Roblox singled out as 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 pipelines. However, Bain cautions that without a well‑defined target audience, AI can simply amplify the wrong bet: "It lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firm predicts 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 rather those that commit early to building for a player persona 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 surveyed gamers now feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did a year ago, another 44 % say their comfort level is unchanged, and fewer than one in seven respondents feel less comfortable.
Acceptance is especially high among teenagers: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 report increased comfort with AI, while 33 % say their opinion 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 provide deeper insights into player behavior.
A growing suite of analytics tools can map engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target audience, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and their communities. These capabilities enable highly personalized experiences, from custom communications and advertising to bespoke in‑game content.
Bain found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among younger demographics. Eighty‑six percent of teenagers report making monthly purchases related to gaming—whether buying new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, or streamer tips—compared with just over half of players in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s. Notably, these figures exclude hardware purchases such as consoles or VR headsets.
Direct purchases from developers’ own storefronts are also on the rise. Nearly half of all gamers buy directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. The trend is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases in the past year. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain’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 about reaching the right players, in the right way, and gaining greater ownership of 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—AI, distribution, personalization—behind that answer."