The worldwide 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 momentum to continue for another four‑year cycle. Despite this healthy macro‑trend, player behavior remains heavily skewed toward the familiar: two‑thirds of respondents said they gravitate toward existing franchises or sequels, and merely one in five actively seek out brand‑new titles.
These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which collected responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a broad geographic spread. The survey revealed a pronounced dissatisfaction with what the firm describes as the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention. To illustrate the point, Bain compared the market reception of two recent releases.
"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 an already saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade players, many of whom were already committed to free‑to‑play ecosystems, to spend a $40 premium price.
The comparison underscores the advantage of targeting a specific player archetype rather than casting a wide, indistinct net. When Bain examined public performance data for 100 titles launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced this narrative. Focused games—those designed for a clearly articulated player type—achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, whereas only half of the unfocused titles managed to break even or turn a profit. This stark gap highlights the risk of developing generic experiences in an increasingly fragmented market.
Player preferences for game genres are also highly divided. When asked which type of experience they preferred—story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition—no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About 20 % indicated that their choice varies with mood or that the categories are roughly equal for them, while 17 % either selected "none of the above" or mentioned other niche genres.
The data suggests that a one‑size‑fits‑all approach is unlikely to resonate broadly. The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: growing player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms, with Roblox singled out as the "centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years.
This concentration amplifies the importance of understanding the specific motivations of that core audience. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain warns that without a well‑defined target player, AI merely scales the wrong bet faster. "The developers that come out ahead over the next several years won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets or the most sophisticated AI capabilities.
They’ll be the ones that commit—earlier than their competitors—to building for a player they can describe in a single sentence," the report states. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has become more favorable over the past year.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers said they feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. The trend is especially pronounced among teenagers: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 reported greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their opinion remained the same. Bain’s analysts interpret these findings as a clear signal for studios: the window for AI adoption is open, particularly with the younger demographics that will shape the market in the next decade.
AI can also serve as a powerful analytics engine, helping developers decode engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate with a target audience, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players. Personalization is another lever that the report highlights. Tailored communications, bespoke advertisements, and content curated for individual gamers have been shown to boost spending, especially among teens.
In fact, 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 those in their 70s. These activities include buying new titles, in‑game items, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware purchases such as consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own storefronts are also gaining traction.
Nearly half of all gamers said they bought directly from a developer at least once in the past year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. Among the 13‑17 age group, 40 % reported making multiple direct purchases over the last twelve months, underscoring the willingness of younger players to engage directly with creators when the offering aligns with their preferences. "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. 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 personalization alike."