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Should I ship an Investigation 6DOF game?
6DOF + Investigation
Only 10 developers shipped an Investigation 6DOF game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 15 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×3.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.8k; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×325 the market median. Revenue is up 80% on the market; 15 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.2k (exactly $2,248) |
| Top 25% | $4.8k (exactly $4,798) |
| Top 5% | $204k (exactly $203,898) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 30 |
| Announced | 15 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 80% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- 6DOF
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- 6DOF, Investigation
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 464 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.8k. 15 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
6DOF with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RoguelikeFair
- + TacticalFair
- + RobotsFair
- + WarFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + RhythmPoor odds
- + CyberpunkPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + Post-apocalypticPoor odds
- + RomancePoor odds
- + SandboxPoor odds
Comparable games
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow 2025 · $204k 
House of Empty Names 2026 · $16k 
Ghost Stories 2 2020 · $14k 
EscapeVR: Trapped Above the Clouds 2017 · $13k 
Neverout 2017 · $11k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow | $19.99 | 340 75% | 10k | $204k (exactly $203,898) | Maze Theory | |
| | House of Empty Names | $5.99 | 88 87% | 2.6k | $16k (exactly $15,814) | Sordar Studios | |
| | Ghost Stories 2 | older | $14.99 | 31 70% | 930 | $14k (exactly $13,941) | AK Studio |
| | EscapeVR: Trapped Above the Clouds | older | $8.99 | 49 73% | 1.5k | $13k (exactly $13,215) | Five Mind Creations, Sourcenity |
| | Neverout | older | $3.99 | 90 76% | 2.7k | $11k (exactly $10,773) | Gamedust |
 | Another Door: Escape Room | $19.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $4.8k (exactly $4,798) | SKONEC Entertainment, YOUCANSTAR | |
 | ANDERSON | older | $4.99 | 29 68% | 870 | $4.3k (exactly $4,341) | AJRPG |
 | The Holy City | older | $19.99 | 7 71% | 210 | $4.2k (exactly $4,198) | Holy City VR, Nimrod Shanit, Sean Thoma… (Holy City VR, Nimrod Shanit, Sean Thomas Evans) |
 | Broken Spectre | older | $11.99 | 11 63% | 330 | $4.0k (exactly $3,957) | Games by Stitch |
 | GHOST CAM | $10.99 | 10 90% | 300 | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) | ARCH REBELS | |
 | Horror Simulator VR | $14.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $2.2k (exactly $2,248) | Suplife Games | |
 | CINESCAPE VR | $14.99 | 5 60% | 150 | $2.2k (exactly $2,248) | SUPER AC | |
 | Oldest Golden Treasure | $14.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Vasil4N | |
 | Escape Together: Secrets of the Professor | $4.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | TeNiTinyGames | |
 | Province: Suroste | · EA | $2.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $90 (exactly $90) | Ztry8 (AslanD) |
 | Grey Cloaks of Aron: The Sleeping Village | $0.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $30 (exactly $30) | DullSeasonGames |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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