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 horizon. Despite this healthy macro‑level growth, player behaviour shows a pronounced preference for the familiar: about two‑thirds of respondents said they gravitate toward existing franchises or sequels, while merely one in five actively seeks out brand‑new titles. These insights come from Bain & Company’s latest annual Gaming Report, which gathered responses from more than 5,300 gamers across a broad range of regions and demographics.
The survey revealed a common frustration among players with what the firm labels the "unfocused middle" of the market—games that are overly generic, safe, and shallow, and therefore fail to capture attention. To illustrate the point, Bain compared the reception of two recent releases: *Baldur’s Gate 3* and *Concord*.
*Baldur’s Gate 3* succeeded by honing in on a narrowly defined audience that appreciated deep role‑playing mechanics and narrative depth. In contrast, *Concord* entered a crowded hero‑shooter segment and struggled to persuade gamers who were already invested in free‑to‑play ecosystems to part with a $40 price tag.
When the firm examined public data on a sample of 100 games launched since 2023, the results were stark. Focused titles—those that targeted a specific player archetype—achieved commercial success in 83 % of cases, whereas only half of the unfocused, broadly aimed games reached comparable performance metrics. Player preferences for genre and style are also highly fragmented. When asked which experience they favoured—story‑driven adventures, open sandbox or user‑generated worlds, or competitive multiplayer—no single category attracted more than 26 % of respondents.
About 20 % indicated that their choice varies with mood or that they treat the categories as roughly equal, while 17 % either selected "none of the above" or mentioned other types of games. The report also identified two major forces reshaping the industry: escalating player expectations and the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Younger gamers, in particular, are concentrating their playtime on a narrower set of platforms, with Roblox highlighted as a burgeoning "centre of gravity" for the broader gaming ecosystem over the past five years.
On the AI front, developers are leveraging generative tools to accelerate production pipelines. However, Bain warns that without a crystal‑clear target audience, AI can merely amplify a misguided bet: "It lets you scale the wrong bet faster." The firm predicts that the studios that will thrive in the coming years won’t necessarily be those with the deepest pockets or the most sophisticated AI stacks.
Instead, success will belong to teams that can articulate their ideal player in a single, concise sentence and commit to that vision earlier than their rivals. Player sentiment toward AI in game creation has softened over the last twelve months.
Forty‑two percent of surveyed gamers now feel more comfortable with AI usage 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 report greater comfort with AI, while 33 % say their opinion remains 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," a Bain spokesperson noted.
The firm also highlighted how AI can deepen developers’ understanding of their audiences. Emerging analytics tools can parse engagement patterns, surface what resonates with a target segment, and create tighter feedback loops between creators and communities. Personalisation is a tangible outcome of these capabilities. Tailored communications, bespoke advertisements, and content recommendations designed for individual players have been shown to boost spending, especially among younger demographics.
In fact, 86 % of teenagers reported making at least one gaming‑related purchase 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 purchases encompass new games, downloadable content, subscriptions, and streamer tips, but exclude hardware such as consoles or VR headsets. Bain also found that nearly half of all gamers buy directly from a developer’s own web store at least once per year, and 27 % do so repeatedly.
The tendency is strongest among the youngest cohort: 40 % of 13‑ to 17‑year‑olds reported multiple direct purchases in the past year. "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," 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."