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 period. Despite this healthy macro‑level growth, the underlying consumer behavior tells a different story: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward familiar franchises or sequels, and merely one in five actively seeks out brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s most recent annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and age groups.
The survey revealed a pronounced dissatisfaction with what the firm labels the "unfocused middle" – games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention in a crowded marketplace. To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co highlighted two recent releases. "Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by deliberately targeting a narrow, well‑defined audience of role‑playing enthusiasts, delivering a deep, narrative‑driven experience that resonated strongly with that segment. In stark contrast, "Concord" entered an already saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players, many of whom were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems, to spend a full $40 on the new product.
The divergent outcomes underscore the report’s central thesis: focus matters. When the firm examined public data on 100 titles launched since 2023, it found that 83 % of games that pursued a specific player archetype achieved commercial success, versus just 50 % of titles that took a broader, less defined approach.
This stark gap suggests that clarity of purpose is a stronger predictor of revenue than sheer budget size or marketing spend. Player preferences for game genres are also highly fragmented. When respondents were asked to choose their preferred experience – story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or competitive multiplayer – no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote. About one‑fifth of gamers said they treat these categories as roughly equal or decide based on mood, while 17 % indicated they prefer other or niche types of games.
The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: rising player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative AI. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a limited set of platforms such as Roblox, which Bain describes as becoming "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years. This concentration amplifies the importance of delivering experiences that meet the specific tastes of a tightly defined audience.
On the AI front, developers are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain warns that AI alone does not mitigate risk if the underlying game concept lacks a clear target player.
As the firm puts it, AI "lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The developers who 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 who can articulate their intended player in a single sentence and commit to that vision earlier than their rivals. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the past twelve months. Forty‑two percent of survey participants reported feeling more comfortable with the industry's use of AI than a year ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. The trend is especially pronounced among teenagers: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 indicated greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % reported no change.
Bain’s Anders Christofferson, global lead for the firm’s Video Game sector, interprets these findings as a green light for studios hesitant about AI’s reputational risk. "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," he said. Beyond speed, AI offers developers deeper insight into player behaviour. Emerging analytics tools can parse engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target cohort, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and their communities.
This capability enables highly personalised experiences – from custom communications and ads to in‑game content tailored to individual preferences. Personalisation appears to have a tangible impact on spending. Bain found that 86 % of teenagers reported making monthly purchases related to gaming, compared with just over half of players in their 50s, 36 % of those in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s.
These purchases encompass new games, downloadable content, subscription services, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own storefronts are also on the rise.
Nearly half of gamers said they buy directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. The propensity for direct buying is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases in the past year.
Christofferson sums 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 adds that studios pulling ahead are those that have deliberately defined who they are building for and aligned every resource – from AI tools to distribution channels to personalisation strategies – behind that singular answer.