The global market for gaming software has been expanding at a steady compound annual growth rate of roughly three percent over the past four years, and analysts expect this trajectory to continue for the next four-year period. Despite this healthy growth, player behavior remains heavily tilted toward 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 revealed a pervasive sense of disappointment with what respondents labeled the “unfocused middle” of the market—games that feel overly generic, safe, and shallow, failing to distinguish themselves from the crowd. To illustrate the impact of focus, Bain & Co compared two recent releases. "Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep role‑playing experiences, while "Concord" entered a saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to spend a full $40 on the title.
The contrast underscores a broader trend: when developers target a specific player archetype, they are far more likely to see commercial payoff. In a data set covering 100 games launched since 2023, Bain & Co found that 83 % of titles with a clear, focused positioning achieved commercial success, compared with just 50 % of games that took a broader, unfocused approach. This stark disparity highlights the importance of knowing exactly who you are building for. Player preferences for genre and experience are also highly fragmented.
When asked to choose between story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, and competitive multiplayer, no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About one‑fifth of players said their preference varies roughly equally across these categories or depends on their mood at the moment, while 17 % indicated they favor other types of games or none of the listed options.
The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: rising demand from players and the rapid adoption of generative AI technologies. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a smaller set of platforms—Roblox being a prime example.
Bain & Co describes Roblox as having become the "centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the last five years, drawing a disproportionate share of attention and spending. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, the firm warns that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless a clear player target is defined.
As one Bain analyst put it, "it lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The companies that will thrive in the coming years are not necessarily 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 development has softened over the past year. Forty‑two percent of survey participants reported feeling more comfortable with the industry's use of AI than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort.
Acceptance is especially high among teenagers: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 said they are more comfortable with AI this year, while 33 % reported no shift in opinion. "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. AI can also serve as a powerful analytics engine, helping developers decode player engagement patterns, surface what resonates with a target audience, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and the community.
Personalisation, powered by AI, is already proving its worth. Tailored communications, targeted advertisements, and bespoke in‑game content can boost spending, especially among younger players. In the study, 86 % of teenagers 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 players in their 70s.
These activities include buying new games, purchasing in‑game items, subscribing to services, and tipping streamers, but exclude hardware purchases such as consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores are also on the rise. Nearly half of all gamers said they buy directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
The trend is most pronounced among the youngest cohort: 40 % of respondents aged 13‑17 reported making 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 reaching the right players, in the right way, and getting more ownership over 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 behind that answer; AI, distribution, and personalisation alike."