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 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 sequels or titles they already know, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new experiences. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across multiple regions. The survey revealed a widespread frustration with what the firm calls the "unfocused middle" of the market – games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, failing to distinguish themselves in an increasingly crowded landscape.
To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co compared two recent releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by targeting a narrowly defined audience, delivering a deep, narrative‑driven RPG that resonated with fans of the genre.
In contrast, Concord entered an already saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players, many of whom were accustomed to free‑to‑play models, to part with a $40 price tag. This case study underscores the report’s broader finding that specificity matters. When the firm examined public data on 100 titles launched since 2023, it discovered that 83 % of games with a clear, focused design aimed at a particular player segment achieved commercial success.
By comparison, only half of the unfocused, broadly‑targeted titles reached similar financial outcomes. The data suggests that a well‑defined player persona dramatically improves the odds of a title’s profitability. Player preferences are also highly fragmented. When asked which type of experience they favor – story‑driven adventures, open sandbox or user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition – no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents.
About 20 % indicated that their choice depends on mood or that they enjoy a balanced mix of these experiences, while 17 % selected "none of the above" or listed other, niche categories. This dispersion highlights the difficulty of catering to a monolithic audience. Bain & Co identified two major forces reshaping the industry in recent years: escalating player expectations and the growing adoption of generative AI.
The report notes that gamers, especially younger cohorts, are concentrating more of their time on a limited set of platforms, with Roblox emerging as a central hub that now anchors much of the gaming ecosystem. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative technologies to accelerate production pipelines. However, the firm cautions that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless it is applied to a well‑defined target audience.
As one Bain analyst put it, "AI lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The companies likely to thrive will not necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI tools, 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 said they feel more comfortable with AI use in games than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % felt their comfort level was unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. Younger gamers are the most receptive: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 reported greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their opinion remained 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 highlighted AI’s potential to deepen player insights.
Emerging analytics tools can track engagement patterns, surface what resonates with specific segments, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and communities. Personalisation is another lever that can boost revenue. Tailored offers – from customized communications and ads to in‑game content designed for individual players – have been shown to increase spending, especially among teenagers.
In fact, 86 % 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. These gaming‑related expenditures encompass purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and tips for streamers, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets.
The report also found that nearly half of gamers buy directly from developers’ web stores at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. The trend is strongest 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 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."