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 continue for the next four-year cycle. Yet, despite this healthy financial trajectory, player behavior remains heavily skewed toward the familiar. According to Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report—based on responses from more than 5,300 gamers across the globe—about two‑thirds of players stick with known franchises or sequels, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new titles.
Survey participants voiced a particular frustration with what the report calls the "unfocused middle" of the market. These are games that play it safe, offering shallow experiences that lack a distinctive identity.
To illustrate the contrast, Bain & Co highlighted two recent releases: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Concord. Baldur’s Gate 3 succeeded by zeroing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing, whereas 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.
When Bain & Co examined public data for a hundred titles launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the importance of focus. Eighty‑three percent of games that targeted a specific player segment achieved commercial success, compared with just fifty percent of titles that tried to appeal to everyone.
The data suggest that a clear, well‑defined design vision is a stronger predictor of profitability than a broad, generic approach. Player preferences across genres are also highly fragmented.
When respondents were asked which type of experience they favored—story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox or user‑generated content, or multiplayer competition—no single category captured more than 26 % of the vote. Another 20 % said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they prefer other, less common game types. The report identified two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player demand and the rapid adoption of generative AI.
Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a narrower set of platforms, with Roblox highlighted as a growing "center of gravity" for the ecosystem over the past five years. This concentration reflects a broader trend of players devoting more hours to fewer, socially rich environments. On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative technologies to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain & Co warns that AI alone does not mitigate risk if the underlying product lacks a clear target audience.
As the firm puts it, AI can "scale the wrong bet faster" when developers chase vague, mass‑market concepts. The analysts argue that the studios that will thrive are not necessarily those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI tools, but those that can articulate their ideal player in a single sentence and commit to serving that niche ahead of their rivals. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the past year. Forty‑two percent of respondents now feel more comfortable with AI’s role in the industry than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % remain unchanged, and fewer than one in seven feel less comfortable.
Acceptance is especially high among teenagers: 59 % of players aged 13‑17 report increased comfort with AI, while 33 % say their view has 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," said Bain & Co. The firm also highlighted how AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences.
Emerging analytics tools can track engagement patterns, surface the features that resonate most, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and communities. Personalisation, powered by AI, is already proving its worth. Tailored communications, targeted advertising, and bespoke in‑game content are driving higher spend, especially among younger players. The report notes that 86 % of teenagers report monthly expenditures on gaming‑related activities, 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 even tips for streamers, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. Direct‑to‑developer sales are also on the rise.
Nearly half of gamers say they buy directly from a developer’s web store at least once a 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 in the past 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 that studios that pull ahead are those that have made a deliberate decision about who they are building for and have aligned every resource—AI, distribution channels, and personalisation—behind that answer.