Do I ship it?

GamesActionAction + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Action game?

Action + Dynamic Narration

Of 65 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration Action game in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 148 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×430 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 148 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 148 announced, ×4.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 65
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $478 → $1.3k → $5.2k → $1.5k → $2.4k → $719 → $269 (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 65
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $3.9k (exactly $3,897)
Top 5% $270k (exactly $270,087)
Developers, 2 yr 65
Released games 203
Announced 148
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 55% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Action
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Dynamic Narration
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Action, Dynamic Narration; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Choices Matter
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 26,043 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $600, 1 in 4 over $3.8k, 1 in 20 over $270k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 39 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 148 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Real-Time with PauseFair16 devs · median $103k · 18 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair25 devs · median $14k · 30 announced
  3. + PinballFair42 devs · median $2.6k · 48 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair43 devs · median $1.8k · 40 announced
  5. + Football (American)Fair16 devs · median $1.3k · 6 announced
  6. + BaseballFair16 devs · median $1.2k · 12 announced
  7. + BilliardsFair19 devs · median $958 · 25 announced
  8. + IdlerFair225 devs · median $898 · 292 announced
  9. + TennisFair23 devs · median $628 · 12 announced
  10. + Time AttackFair90 devs · median $599 · 110 announced
  11. + TabletopFair71 devs · median $505 · 86 announced
  12. + WuxiaPoor odds9 devs · median $189k · 36 announced

All 288 pairs on the Action page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Road 96 🛣️ older $19.96 22,118 91% 664k $13M (exactly $13,244,258) Digixart
Bastion older $14.99 28,223 95% 847k $13M (exactly $12,691,883) Supergiant Games
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger older $14.99 20,869 94% 626k $9.4M (exactly $9,384,789) Techland
Drova - Forsaken Kin $24.99 9,455 93% 284k $7.1M (exactly $7,088,414) Just2D
Outcast - A New Beginning older $39.99 1,232 78% 37k $1.5M (exactly $1,478,030) Appeal Studios
Get To Work $12.99 3,456 88% 104k $1.3M (exactly $1,346,803) Isto Inc.
Songs for a Hero - Definitive Edition older $14.99 2,414 96% 72k $1.1M (exactly $1,085,576) Dumativa, Castro Brothers
Stories: The Path of Destinies older $14.99 1,943 87% 58k $874k (exactly $873,767) Spearhead Games
Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter older $29.99 852 73% 26k $767k (exactly $766,544) Iron Wolf Studio S.A.
Omensight: Definitive Edition older $19.99 1,174 88% 35k $704k (exactly $704,048) Spearhead Games
Ludus Magnatus: Gladiator Manager Simulator · EA $24.99 612 81% 18k $459k (exactly $458,816) Contec Games
RATSHAKER™ $2.99 3,011 92% 90k $270k (exactly $270,087) Sunscorched Studios
Under The Island $19.99 446 92% 13k $267k (exactly $267,466) Slime King Games
Your Mother $0.99 8,436 92% 253k $251k (exactly $250,549) M for Mother
5 NIGHTS AT SHALUN 4: SCHOOL $1.99 535 93% 16k $32k (exactly $31,940) Team GZ, VADIM CHURILOV
Irreversible · EA $19.99 41 92% 1.2k $25k (exactly $24,588) Delusional Reality Studio
Lethal Honor - Order of the Apocalypse $24.99 29 96% 870 $22k (exactly $21,741) Viral Studios
NAPOLEON: RULE OF IRON $19.99 22 90% 660 $13k (exactly $13,193) Eisengeist Studio

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