Global revenue from 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 this trajectory to persist for the next four‑year period. Yet, despite this healthy market expansion, player behavior shows a marked preference for the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward sequels or titles they already know, while only one in five actively looks for brand‑new experiences.
These insights come from Bain & Company’s annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a wide range of regions and demographics. The survey revealed a common frustration with what respondents dubbed the “unfocused middle” of the market—games that are overly generic, play it safe, and lack depth, making them easy to overlook.
To illustrate the impact of focus, Bain compared 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 a saturated hero‑shooter space and struggled to persuade players who were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to spend the full $40 price tag. When Bain examined public data for 100 games launched since 2023, the numbers were stark. Eighty‑three percent of titles that were purposefully aimed at a specific player segment achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the unfocused, broadly targeted games reached similar profitability.
Player preferences for genre and play style are also highly fragmented. When asked to choose between story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content experiences, and multiplayer‑focused games, no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote. About 20 % of respondents said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, and another 17 % indicated they prefer other types of games or did not select any of the listed options.
The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: rising player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their time on a smaller set of platforms—Roblox being a prime example.
Bain describes Roblox as having become the "centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years, drawing massive daily engagement from a teen‑centric audience. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, the report warns that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless the game’s target audience is crystal‑clear.
As Bain puts it, AI can "scale the wrong bet faster" if developers chase vague concepts without a defined player persona. "The studios that will thrive in the coming years won’t necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks," says Anders Christofferson, global head of Bain’s Video Game practice. "They’ll be the studios that, early on, can articulate the player they’re building for in a single sentence and align every resource—AI, distribution, personalization—behind that vision." Player sentiment toward AI in game development has warmed over the past twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers now feel more comfortable with AI’s role in creating games than they did a year ago, another 44 % feel 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 view remains the same. Bain interprets this shift as a window of opportunity for studios concerned about reputational risk. The data suggests that audiences who will dominate the market over the next decade are increasingly open to AI‑enhanced experiences, provided those experiences are tailored to their preferences.
AI also offers powerful tools for deeper player insight. Emerging analytics platforms can dissect engagement patterns, surface the features that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and their communities. This capability enables highly personalized marketing—customized communications, ads, and in‑game content that speak directly to individual players.
The impact of personalization on spending is pronounced among younger demographics. Eighty‑six percent of teenagers report 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, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. Bain also found that nearly half of gamers make at least one direct purchase from a developer’s own web store annually, and 27 % do so repeatedly. This behavior is most evident among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases in the past year.
"The question for gaming executives is no longer simply how to reach more players," Christofferson notes. "It’s about reaching the right players, in the right way, and gaining greater ownership of that relationship. The studios pulling ahead are the ones that have deliberately chosen who they are building for and have aligned every resource—AI, distribution, personalization—to serve that audience." In summary, the Bain & Company Gaming Report underscores a clear market signal: focused, well‑defined games are more likely to succeed financially, AI can be a catalyst when paired with a sharp player target, and younger gamers are both the most engaged and the most receptive to AI‑driven, personalized experiences.
Studios that internalize these findings and act decisively are poised to capture the next wave of growth in the evolving gaming landscape.