The global 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 that momentum to persist for the next four-year horizon. Yet, despite this overall growth, player behavior remains heavily skewed toward the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward titles they already know or to sequels of existing franchises, while only one in five actively looks for brand‑new experiences. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a wide range of regions and demographics. The survey asked participants to evaluate their satisfaction with recent releases and to describe the kinds of games that capture their attention.
A recurring theme among respondents was frustration with what the firm calls the "unfocused middle" of the market – games that are overly generic, safe, or shallow and therefore fail to stand out. To illustrate this phenomenon, Bain compared two recent releases: *Baldur’s Gate 3* and *Concord*. *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 a saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players who were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to spend a $40 premium price tag.
When Bain examined public data for 100 titles launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the importance of focus. Eighty‑three percent of games that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the titles that lacked a clear target audience reached comparable sales milestones. Player preferences for genre and play style are also highly fragmented. When asked whether they preferred story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences with user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer modes, no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents.
About 20 % said their choice depends on mood or that the three categories are roughly equal for them, and 17 % indicated they favor other or niche game types. The report also highlighted two major forces reshaping the industry: rising player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence.
Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their time on a smaller set of platforms – most notably Roblox – which Bain describes as having become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines.
However, Bain warns that AI alone does not mitigate risk when the underlying game concept is vague: "It lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firm argues that the studios that will thrive in the coming years will not necessarily be the ones with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks. Instead, success will belong to those who can articulate their target player in a single, concise sentence and commit to that vision earlier than their rivals. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has softened over the last twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers now feel more comfortable with the industry’s use of AI than they did a year ago, another 44 % say their comfort level is 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 opinion 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 spokesperson explained. The firm also notes that AI can provide deeper insights into player behaviour.
Emerging analytics tools can track engagement patterns, surface the features that resonate most with a defined audience, and create tighter feedback loops between developers and their communities. These capabilities enable highly personalised experiences, from targeted communications and advertising to bespoke in‑game content tailored to individual preferences. Bain’s research shows that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among younger players.
Eighty‑six percent of teenagers report spending money on gaming‑related activities each month, compared with just over half of gamers in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s. Gaming‑related expenditures include purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscription services, and tips for streamers, but they exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. The report also found that nearly half of all gamers buy directly from a developer’s own web store at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
This direct‑to‑consumer trend is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds 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."