Do I ship it?

GamesAction-AdventureAction-Adventure + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Action-Adventure?

Action-Adventure + Dynamic Narration

Of 48 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration Action-Adventure 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.. 115 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 6 / 10 build. 28 developers shipped in the last year and 115 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 115 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action-Adventure + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 48
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.9k → $599 → $1.6k → $390 → $359 → $210 → $269 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action-Adventure + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 48
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $300 (exactly $300)
Top 25% $2.0k (exactly $2,017)
Top 5% $42k (exactly $41,658)
Developers, 2 yr 48
Released games 129
Announced 115
Effort 6 / 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 up 35% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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-Adventure
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 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
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Action-Adventure, Dynamic Narration; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Exploration
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, 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 88% positive over 4,500 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $300, 1 in 4 over $2.0k, 1 in 20 over $41k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 115 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Dating SimFair63 devs · median $12k · 69 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair18 devs · median $6.7k · 19 announced
  3. + BikesFair11 devs · median $2.5k · 11 announced
  4. + TransportationFair21 devs · median $2.3k · 22 announced
  5. + MotorbikeFair9 devs · median $2.3k · 12 announced
  6. + TypingLong shot14 devs · median $360 · 16 announced
  7. + Time AttackLong shot12 devs · median $150 · 17 announced
  8. + Character Action GamePoor odds23 devs · median $58k · 93 announced
  9. + MMORPGPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 116 announced
  10. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds49 devs · median $25k · 133 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds81 devs · median $24k · 135 announced
  12. + Villain ProtagonistPoor odds12 devs · median $17k · 26 announced

All 242 pairs on the Action-Adventure page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes older $29.99 7,360 89% 221k $6.6M (exactly $6,621,792) Supermassive Games
Martha Is Dead older $29.99 2,700 78% 81k $2.4M (exactly $2,429,190) LKA
Observer: System Redux older $29.99 2,462 84% 74k $2.2M (exactly $2,215,061) Bloober Team, Anshar Studios
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.
Stories: The Path of Destinies older $14.99 1,943 87% 58k $874k (exactly $873,767) Spearhead Games
Finnish Army Simulator · EA older $29.99 500 88% 15k $450k (exactly $449,850) Please Be Patient
The Inquisitor older $39.99 277 66% 8.3k $332k (exactly $332,317) The Dust S.A.
The Uncertain: Light At The End older $9.99 970 64% 29k $291k (exactly $290,709) ComonGames
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm older $29.99 296 73% 8.9k $266k (exactly $266,311) Cornfox & Brothers Ltd.
Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing $19.99 83 87% 2.5k $50k (exactly $49,775) Active Fungus Studios
Astrumis - Survive Together $9.99 139 70% 4.2k $42k (exactly $41,658) Tyci
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
Hank: Drowning On Dry Land $2.99 140 95% 4.2k $13k (exactly $12,558) My Next Games
3D Skills Start Here · EA $5.99 45 33% 1.4k $8.1k (exactly $8,086) Dave Mills
Octopus Goulash $12.99 10 70% 300 $3.9k (exactly $3,897) Alessio Serenellini
AHAPIKA – Heroic Agency · EA $4.99 22 100% 660 $3.3k (exactly $3,293) Pixeliantika

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