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 that momentum to persist for the next four-year horizon. Yet, despite this overall growth, player behavior remains heavily tilted toward the familiar. According to Bain & Company’s most recent annual Gaming Report – which gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across the globe – two‑thirds of players gravitate toward sequels or titles that feel known to them, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new experiences.
Survey participants voiced a particular frustration with what the firm termed the "unfocused middle" of the market. These are games that feel overly generic, safe, and shallow, failing to distinguish themselves in a crowded landscape. To illustrate the point, Bain & Co contrasted two recent releases: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Concord.
Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by deliberately courting a narrowly defined audience, delivering a deep, narrative‑driven RPG that resonated with fans of the franchise and the genre. By contrast, Concord entered an already saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players who were accustomed to free‑to‑play models to spend a $40 upfront price tag.
When the consultancy examined public data on a hundred titles launched since 2023, a clear pattern emerged. Focused games that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, whereas only half of the more generic, unfocused releases managed to turn a profit.
This suggests that a laser‑sharp market definition can be a decisive competitive advantage. Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When asked which type of experience they preferred – story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition – no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote.
About one‑fifth of respondents said their choice varied roughly equally or depended on their mood at the time, and another 17 % indicated they either did not fit into any of the listed categories or preferred other types of games altogether. Bain & Co also highlighted two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. The report notes that gamers, especially younger ones, are concentrating their time on a narrower set of platforms, with Roblox cited as the de‑facto "center of gravity" for the broader gaming ecosystem over the past five years.
This concentration intensifies competition for attention and spending within a limited pool of high‑engagement titles. On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, the consultancy warns that without a well‑defined target audience, AI can simply amplify a misguided bet: "it lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firms that will thrive in the coming years, according to Bain, will not necessarily be 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 creation has softened over the past twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers said they feel more comfortable with AI usage in the industry than they did a year ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. Younger cohorts are even more receptive: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 reported heightened comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view stayed 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 pointed out that AI can help developers gain deeper insights into player behavior. An expanding suite of analytical tools can surface engagement patterns, highlight what resonates with a target demographic, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and their communities. These capabilities enable highly personalized offers – from bespoke communications and targeted advertisements to custom in‑game content tailored to individual preferences. Bain found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among teenage gamers.
Eighty‑six percent 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. Gaming‑related expenditures include purchases of new titles, downloadable content, subscription services, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets.
The report also revealed purchasing channel trends. Nearly half of all gamers buy directly from developers’ web stores at least once a year, and 27 % make repeat purchases through those channels. This behavior is most pronounced among the youngest cohort: 40 % of players aged 13‑17 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.
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."