The global market for video‑game software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly three percent over the last four years, and analysts expect that momentum to continue for another four‑year horizon. Yet, despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behaviour reveals a pronounced 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 gamers across a wide range of regions and demographics.
The survey uncovered a recurring complaint about 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 the point, Bain compared the market reception of two recent releases.
"Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by aiming at a narrowly defined audience of role‑playing enthusiasts, delivering deep narrative and mechanics that resonated with that group. In contrast, "Concord" entered an already saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players who were accustomed to free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag.
The contrast underscores the advantage of a clear, targeted design philosophy. When the firm examined public data on a hundred titles launched since 2023, the numbers were striking: 83 % of games that pursued a specific player archetype achieved commercial success, compared with just 50 % of titles that took a broader, less focused approach.
This suggests that a well‑defined audience is a stronger predictor of revenue than sheer production budget. Player preferences for genre and experience are also highly fragmented. When respondents were asked whether they preferred story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences with user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition, no single category attracted more than 26 % of the vote.
About 20 % said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they either play other types of games or do not fit into the listed categories. Bain identified two major forces reshaping the industry today: rising demand from players and the rapid adoption of generative AI tools by developers.
The report notes that younger gamers are concentrating their playtime on a relatively small set of platforms, with Roblox highlighted as a growing "center of gravity" for the broader gaming ecosystem over the past five years. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative technologies to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain warns that without a precise target audience, AI can merely amplify a mis‑aligned 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 those that commit early to building for a player they can describe in a single sentence.
Player sentiment toward AI in game creation 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 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven report increased discomfort.
Acceptance is especially high among younger cohorts: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 say they are more comfortable with AI this year, 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 spokesperson explained.
The firm also highlights how AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences. New analytical tools can sift through engagement data, surface the features that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players.
These capabilities enable highly personalized experiences, from custom communications and advertisements to in‑game content tailored to individual preferences. Bain found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among teenagers. Eighty‑six percent 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 expenditures encompass purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscription services, and tips for streamers, but exclude hardware like consoles or VR headsets. The report also reveals that nearly half of gamers buy directly from developers’ own web stores at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. This direct‑to‑consumer trend is strongest 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’s Video Game sector and partner in its Media & Entertainment practice. "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."