Do I ship it?

Games6DOF6DOF + Visual Novel

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Visual Novel 6DOF game?

6DOF + Visual Novel

Only 13 developers shipped a Visual Novel 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, Sushi Ben, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 12 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $750; 1 in 20 cleared $93k, ×149 the market median. Revenue is down 45% on the market; 12 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 45% on the market, 12 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
6DOF + Visual Novel
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $8.7k → $17k → $9.6k → $2.4k → $6.6k → $629 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 6DOF + Visual Novel: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $748 (exactly $748)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,398)
Top 25% $9.6k (exactly $9,595)
Top 5% $94k (exactly $93,882)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 57
Announced 12
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 down 45% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

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
Visual Novel
effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
6DOF, Visual Novel; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Dating Sim, Simulation, Adventure
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, VR, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 494 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $750, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $9.5k, 1 in 20 over $93k.

3 in 10 developers made under $750. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 12 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

6DOF with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RoguelikeFair15 devs · median $4.7k · 7 announced
  2. + TacticalFair14 devs · median $2.4k · 19 announced
  3. + RobotsFair10 devs · median $2.2k · 12 announced
  4. + WarFair11 devs · median $1.8k · 10 announced
  5. + Dark FantasyFair12 devs · median $1.8k · 12 announced
  6. + Walking SimulatorFair29 devs · median $958 · 39 announced
  7. + RhythmPoor odds12 devs · median $11k · 9 announced
  8. + CyberpunkPoor odds8 devs · median $9.6k · 17 announced
  9. + MilitaryPoor odds10 devs · median $7.6k · 17 announced
  10. + Post-apocalypticPoor odds12 devs · median $6.5k · 15 announced
  11. + RomancePoor odds13 devs · median $3.6k · 8 announced
  12. + SandboxPoor odds32 devs · median $3.6k · 69 announced

All 90 pairs on the 6DOF page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Spice&Wolf VR2 older $24.99 663 96% 20k $497k (exactly $497,051) SpicyTails
Laid-Back Camp - Virtual - Lake Motosu older $19.99 362 80% 11k $217k (exactly $217,091) Gemdrops, Inc.
Sushi Ben $11.99 261 82% 7.8k $94k (exactly $93,882) Big Brane Studios, Inc.
Laid-Back Camp - Virtual - Fumoto Campsite older $19.99 151 89% 4.5k $91k (exactly $90,555) Gemdrops, Inc.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City $24.99 105 76% 3.2k $79k (exactly $78,718) Cortopia Studios
Gloomy Eyes VR older $8.99 186 88% 5.6k $50k (exactly $50,164) 3DAR, Atlas V
STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son older $19.99 36 100% 1.1k $22k (exactly $21,589) UME STUDIOS
JOI Lab VR 🔞 / 自慰ラボ $14.99 43 60% 1.3k $19k (exactly $19,337) Caulino
Sex Simulator older $2.99 209 71% 6.3k $19k (exactly $18,747) Slippy Floor
星の欠片の物語。しかけ版 older $34.99 17 94% 510 $18k (exactly $17,845) 自転車創業, フォージビジョン株式会社
Hentai Dolls $19.99 20 80% 600 $12k (exactly $11,994) SinVR
Cyber Freeuse Fantasy $19.99 16 68% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,595) SinVR
Fantasex Chronicles $19.99 11 90% 330 $6.6k (exactly $6,597) SinVR
Succubus Sisters and Countdown Sex VR $14.99 9 88% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) AhrpuXR
Family Friends: Beyond Home $7.99 13 30% 390 $3.1k (exactly $3,116) eroverse
Phantom Asylum VR · EA $9.99 8 75% 240 $2.4k (exactly $2,398) SRVR
Fear Simulator VR $3.99 8 25% 240 $958 (exactly $958) Overbuilt S.A.

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.