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 at least another four‑year horizon. Despite this overall growth, player behaviour remains heavily skewed toward the familiar. In fact, about two‑thirds of respondents said they gravitate toward titles they already know—sequels, franchises, or games that feel similar to past favourites—while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new experiences. These insights come from Bain & Company’s most recent annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a broad range of regions and demographics.
The survey asked participants about their satisfaction with the current slate of releases, their preferences for genre and gameplay style, and their attitudes toward emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence. A recurring theme among the interviewees was frustration with what the firm labels the "unfocused middle" of the market. Players described many recent releases as overly generic, safe, and shallow—games that lack a distinctive identity and therefore fail to capture attention.
To illustrate this point, Bain & Co contrasted the market reception of two very different titles released in the same period: *Baldur’s Gate 3* and *Concord*. *Baldur’s Gate 3* succeeded by deliberately targeting a narrow, well‑defined audience—fans of deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences. By honing in on that specific segment, the game generated strong word‑of‑mouth, high engagement, and robust sales.
In contrast, *Concord* entered a crowded hero‑shooter space already dominated by free‑to‑play models. The title struggled to persuade players who were accustomed to accessing similar experiences at no cost to spend a full $40, leading to a lukewarm commercial outcome.
When Bain & Co examined public performance data for 100 titles launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the importance of focus. Eighty‑three percent of games that were built around a clearly articulated player archetype achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the titles that took a broader, less defined approach met their revenue targets.
Player preferences for game type are also highly fragmented. When asked which experience they most enjoy—story‑driven single‑player adventures, open‑world sandbox environments with user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer—no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote. About one‑fifth of respondents said their preference varies depending on mood or that they treat the three categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they favor other, less common genres. The report also highlighted two macro‑level pressures reshaping the industry: rising player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI tools.
Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a smaller set of platforms, with Roblox singled out as a focal point. Bain & Co describes Roblox as having become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years, drawing massive daily active user counts and influencing broader market trends. On the technology front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative AI to accelerate content creation, streamline asset generation, and even prototype gameplay mechanics. However, the firm cautions that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless it is applied to a product with a well‑defined target audience.
As one analyst put it, "AI lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The companies that will thrive, according to Bain, are those that commit early—well before competitors—to building for a player profile that can be summed up in a single sentence. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has shifted positively over the past year. Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers said they feel more comfortable with AI‑enhanced production than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. The trend is most pronounced among teenagers and young adults: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 reported greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view stayed the same.
Bain & Co interprets these findings as a green light for studios that have been hesitant to adopt AI out of fear of reputational damage. "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," the firm wrote. Beyond production efficiencies, AI offers powerful analytical capabilities. New tools can sift through massive streams of engagement data, surface the features that resonate most with a target cohort, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and their communities.
This intelligence can feed into highly personalized marketing and in‑game experiences, such as custom offers, tailored advertisements, and content recommendations that speak directly to an individual player's preferences. Personalisation appears to have a measurable impact on spending, especially among younger demographics. The report found that 86 % of teenagers 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 gamers in their 70s. Gaming‑related purchases encompass new titles, downloadable content, subscription services, and tips for streamers, but exclude hardware like consoles or VR headsets.
Direct‑to‑consumer sales channels are also gaining traction. Nearly half of all respondents said they buy games or in‑game items directly from a developer’s web store at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
This behaviour is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of players aged 13‑17 reported making multiple direct purchases in the past twelve months. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain & Co’s Video Game practice and partner in the 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."