The worldwide market for gaming software has been expanding at a modest compound annual growth rate of roughly three percent over the last four years, and analysts expect this tempo to persist for the next four‑year horizon. Yet, despite this steady financial climb, player behavior reveals a strong 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 the latest edition of Bain & Company’s annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across diverse regions and demographics. The survey highlighted a widespread frustration with what respondents dubbed the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, play it safe, and lack the depth needed to capture attention. To illustrate the impact of focus, Bain & Co contrasted the reception of two recent releases.
"Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by zeroing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep role‑playing mechanics and narrative complexity. 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 spend the full $40 price tag. When the firm examined public performance data for a hundred titles launched since 2023, the numbers were striking: 83 % of games that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the unfocused, broadly aimed titles managed to turn a profit.
Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When asked which experience they favored—story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox environments with user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition—no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About one‑fifth of gamers said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they prefer other types of games or could not identify a preference at all.
The report identified two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms, with Roblox singled out as the emerging "center of gravity" for the broader gaming ecosystem over the past five years. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain & Co cautions that without a clear target audience, AI merely speeds up the wrong bet: "It lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firm predicts that the studios that will thrive in the coming years won’t necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks.
Instead, success will belong to teams that, early on, define their player in a single, concise sentence and align every resource—AI, distribution, personalization—around that definition. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the past twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers now feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did a year ago, another 44 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven express increased discomfort. The shift is especially pronounced among teenagers: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 report greater comfort with AI, while 33 % say their view 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 & Co spokesperson explained. The firm also notes that AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audience.
Emerging analytics tools can dissect engagement patterns, surface the features that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players. These capabilities enable highly personalized offers—customized communications, ads, and in‑game content tailored to individual tastes. Bain & Co found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially 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 activities" encompass purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware like consoles or VR headsets.
The study also uncovered purchasing habits: nearly half of gamers buy directly from developers’ own web stores at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. This behavior is most pronounced among the youngest cohort, with 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reporting multiple direct purchases in the previous 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 for Bain & Co’s Video Game sector and partner in its Media & Entertainment practice.
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."