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 expect this momentum to persist for the next four-year horizon. Yet, despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behaviour shows a strong preference for the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward existing franchises or sequels, and merely 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 diverse regions. The survey revealed a widespread frustration with what the firm calls the "unfocused middle" – games that are overly generic, safe, and lack depth, making them difficult to distinguish in a crowded marketplace. To illustrate the point, Bain compared the market 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, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences. In contrast, *Concord* entered an already saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players, many of whom were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems, to spend the $40 price tag. When the consultancy examined public data for 100 titles launched since 2023, it found a stark divide: 83 % of games that pursued a specific player archetype reached commercial success, while only half of the more broadly targeted, unfocused titles did so. This suggests that precision in audience definition is a far stronger predictor of sales than sheer budget or production scale.
Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When respondents were asked which type of experience they preferred – story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox/user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition – no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote.
About 20 % said their choice fluctuates depending on mood or context, and another 17 % selected "none of the above" or listed other niche categories. The report highlights two major forces reshaping the industry today: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms such as Roblox, which Bain 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 technologies to accelerate content creation, but the firm warns that without a clear target audience this speed can amplify the wrong bets. "It lets you scale the wrong bet faster," the report notes. The consultants argue that the studios that will thrive in the coming years won’t necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI pipelines.
Instead, they will be the teams that can articulate their ideal player in a single, concise sentence and align all resources – from design to marketing – around that vision. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has softened over the past twelve months. Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers say they feel more comfortable with AI usage than a year ago, another 44 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven express increased discomfort. The shift 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 explained. The firm also points out that AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences. Emerging analytics tools can dissect engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and communities. These capabilities enable highly personalized experiences, ranging from bespoke communications and advertising to in‑game content tailored to individual tastes.
Bain’s research shows that such personalization drives higher spend, especially among younger players. Eighty‑six percent of teenagers report monthly expenditures on gaming‑related activities, 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 spending encompasses purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and tips for streamers, but excludes hardware like consoles or VR headsets.
Notably, nearly half of all 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 cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds made multiple direct purchases in the past year. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain’s Video Game practice and partner in its Media & Entertainment division, 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.
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."