Lucy Gillespie

Once upon a time, gamers were young, male, and tech-savvy. Now, that player in your Fortnite games could be a woman in her early 20s discovering shooters for the first time, a man in his 50s who’s been gaming since Doom, or even your mom.

As audiences expand from a single demographic to a broad psychographic, developers are forced to accelerate the pace of innovation. New audiences are as hungry as they are diverse, and their demand for groundbreaking content outstrips developers’ capacity to supply. Gamers empowered with tools, time, and money are rushing to fill the gap.

Here’s what happens next.