The global market for video‑game 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 continue for another four‑year cycle. Yet, despite this healthy financial backdrop, player behavior reveals a striking conservatism: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward familiar franchises or sequels, and only one out of every five actively seeks out a brand‑new title.
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 highlighted a pervasive sense of disappointment with what the firm calls the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, or shallow and therefore fail to capture the imagination of the audience. To illustrate the contrast, Bain compared the market reception of two recent releases. "Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by deliberately targeting a narrow, well‑defined audience that craved deep role‑playing experiences.
In contrast, "Concord" entered an already saturated hero‑shooter space and struggled to persuade players who were accustomed to free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag. The report’s analysis of public data on 100 titles launched since 2023 underscores this point: 83 % of games that were sharply focused on a specific player segment achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the unfocused titles managed to turn a profit. Player preferences for game genres are highly fragmented. When respondents were asked which type of experience they preferred—story‑driven narratives, open‑world sandbox environments with user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer—no single category attracted more than 26 % of the vote.
About one‑fifth of gamers said their preference is roughly equal across categories or depends on their mood at the time, and another 17 % either selected "none of the above" or mentioned other, less common game types. The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player demand and the rapid adoption of generative AI technologies. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating more of their playtime on a smaller 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 increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain cautions that without a clear target audience, AI can simply amplify the wrong bet: "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 those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks, but rather those that commit early to building for a player profile that can be described in a single sentence. Player sentiment toward AI in game development has softened over the last twelve months. Forty‑two percent of survey participants said they feel more comfortable with the industry’s use of AI than they did a year ago, another 44 % reported no change, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort.
Acceptance is especially high among the youngest cohort: 59 % of gamers aged 13‑17 indicated greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view remained unchanged. "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 noted. The firm also highlighted how AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences.
A growing suite of analytical tools can track engagement patterns, surface the content that resonates most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and players. Personalisation, powered by AI, is already proving its worth.
Tailored communications, bespoke advertisements, and custom in‑game content can boost 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 activities encompass purchases of new games, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. Bain also found that nearly half of gamers buy directly from developers’ web stores at least once a year, with 27 % making repeat purchases. The tendency is strongest among younger players: 40 % of those 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 about reaching the right players, in the right way, and gaining greater 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."