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 another four‑year stretch. Despite this overall growth, player behavior remains heavily skewed toward the familiar: about two‑thirds of gamers say they gravitate toward sequels or titles that feel like something they already know, while only one in five actively seeks out brand‑new releases.
These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 individuals across a broad range of regions and demographics. The survey asked participants about their preferences, frustrations, and expectations, and it painted a picture of an industry that is both thriving and increasingly fragmented. One recurring theme was a strong dislike for what respondents called the "unfocused middle" – games that feel overly generic, safe, or shallow and therefore fail to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
To illustrate this point, Bain & Co compared two recent titles: *Baldur’s Gate 3* and *Concord*. The former succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that craved deep, narrative‑driven role‑playing experiences.
The latter, by contrast, entered an already saturated hero‑shooter segment and struggled to convince players who were accustomed to free‑to‑play models to spend a full $40 on the product. When the firm examined public performance data for 100 games launched since 2023, the numbers reinforced the importance of focus.
Eighty‑three percent of titles that were deliberately aimed at a specific player segment achieved commercial success, whereas only half of the more broadly targeted, unfocused games managed to turn a profit. Player genre preferences are equally split.
When asked to choose between story‑driven adventures, open‑world sandbox experiences (including user‑generated content), or multiplayer‑focused games, no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents. About one‑fifth of gamers said their choice depends on mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % indicated they prefer other types of experiences altogether. The report also highlighted two macro‑level forces reshaping the industry: rising player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their time on a smaller set of platforms – with Roblox cited as the de‑facto "centre of gravity" for the gaming ecosystem over the past five years.
This concentration suggests that developers who can win over a core community stand to gain disproportionate influence. On the AI front, Bain & Co observed that studios are increasingly leveraging generative tools to accelerate development pipelines. However, the firm warned that AI alone does not mitigate risk unless a clear target audience is defined.
As one analyst put it, "AI lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The companies that will emerge ahead in the next several years are unlikely to be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks. Instead, they will be the studios that, early on, can articulate their ideal player in a single, concise sentence and align every resource – from art direction to marketing – around that vision. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the past year.
Forty‑two percent of survey participants reported feeling more comfortable with AI‑driven development than they did twelve months ago, another 44 % said their comfort level remained unchanged, and fewer than one in seven expressed increased discomfort. Acceptance is especially high among the youngest cohort: 59 % of respondents aged 13‑17 indicated greater comfort with AI this year, while 33 % said their view stayed the same. Bain & Co’s senior partner Anders Christofferson interpreted these findings as a green light for studios hesitant about AI’s reputational risk. "The window to adopt AI is open, particularly with the audiences that will define the market over the next decade," he said.
"AI can also help developers understand their players more deeply. A growing suite of tools can analyze engagement patterns, surface what resonates with a target audience, and enable more effective feedback loops between developers and the community." One practical application of these tools is hyper‑personalised offers – customized communications, ads, and in‑game content tailored to individual players. The report found that such personalization drives higher spending, especially among teenagers. Eighty‑six percent of gamers aged 13‑17 reported spending money on gaming‑related activities each month, compared with just over half of those in their 50s, 36 % of players in their 60s, and 27 % of those in their 70s.
These activities include buying new titles, purchasing downloadable content, subscribing to services, and tipping streamers, but they exclude hardware purchases like consoles or VR headsets. Direct purchases from developers’ own web stores also emerged as a notable trend. Nearly half of all respondents said they bought something directly from a developer at least once a year, and 27 % reported doing so repeatedly. The propensity to buy directly is strongest among the youngest gamers: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds made multiple direct purchases in the past year.
Christofferson summed up the strategic implication for executives: "The question is no longer just about reaching more players. It’s about reaching the right players, in the right way, and gaining greater 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 AI, distribution, and personalization efforts to serve that specific audience. In summary, the Bain & Company Gaming Report underscores a clear message for developers and publishers: success in an increasingly crowded market hinges on focus. By defining a narrow, well‑understood player persona, leveraging AI to deepen that understanding, and delivering personalized experiences, studios can not only survive but thrive, even as overall industry growth remains modest.