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 this momentum to persist for the next four-year horizon. Yet, despite the overall health of the industry, player behavior reveals a striking preference for the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward existing franchises or sequels, while only one in five actively looks for brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 players across a broad range of regions and demographics. The survey uncovered a widespread sense of disappointment with what the firm labels the "unfocused middle" of the market – games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, failing to differentiate themselves in a crowded field.
To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co compared two recent releases. "Baldur’s Gate 3" succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep role‑playing experiences, whereas "Concord" entered a saturated hero‑shooter arena and struggled to persuade players already entrenched in free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag.
The data underscores a broader pattern: among 100 titles launched since 2023, 83 % of those that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success, compared with just 50 % of games that took a more generic approach. Player preferences for genre and play style are also highly fragmented.
When respondents were asked whether they favored narrative‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences with user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition, no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote. About one‑fifth of gamers said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they either prefer other types of games or did not fit into any of the listed options. The report highlights two major forces reshaping the industry today: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their time on a narrower set of platforms – with Roblox cited as a prime example of a service that has become "the centre of gravity for the entire gaming ecosystem" over the past five years.
On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain & Co warns that without a clear target audience, AI can simply amplify the wrong bets: "it lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firm argues that the winners in the coming years will not necessarily be the studios with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks, but those that can articulate their ideal player in a single sentence and commit to that vision ahead of their rivals.
Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the last twelve months. Forty‑two percent of respondents now feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did a year ago, another 44 % feel unchanged, and fewer than one in seven express increased discomfort. Acceptance is especially high among teens: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 say they are more comfortable with AI this year, while 33 % report no shift in opinion.
"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 & Co spokesperson noted. The firm also points out that AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences. Emerging analytics tools can track engagement patterns, surface the elements that resonate most with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and the community.
Such insights enable highly personalized experiences – from tailored in‑game offers and custom advertising to content that feels uniquely crafted for each player. Bain & Co found that personalization drives higher spending, especially among younger demographics.
Eighty‑six percent of teenagers report 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. Direct purchases from developers’ own storefronts are also on the rise.
Nearly half of gamers say they have bought directly from a developer’s website at least once in the past year, and 27 % do so repeatedly. The trend is most pronounced among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases over the last twelve months. Anders Christofferson, global lead for Bain & Co’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 personalization alike."