Do I ship it?

GamesAction-AdventureAction-Adventure + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Action-Adventure?

Action-Adventure + Modern

Of 73 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 138 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×1.9 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $990k, ×1583 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 138 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 138 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action-Adventure + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 73
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $2.7k → $1.8k → $1.8k → $6.2k → $1.0k → $239 (still earning) → $7.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action-Adventure + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 73
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,198)
Top 25% $8.6k (exactly $8,626)
Top 5% $994k (exactly $994,425)
Developers, 2 yr 73
Released games 222
Announced 138
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 down 70% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Modern
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium 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; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
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 94% positive over 120,261 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $990k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 44 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 138 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action-Adventure with a different setting or mood, 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
Resident Evil Requiem $69.99 106,931 95% 3.2M $225M (exactly $224,523,021) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Judgment older $39.99 9,407 93% 282k $11M (exactly $11,285,578) RGG Studio
Lost Judgment older $39.99 7,461 93% 224k $9.0M (exactly $8,950,962) RGG Studio
Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition $39.99 5,855 86% 176k $7.0M (exactly $7,024,244) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
The Bridge Curse Road to Salvation older $19.99 2,989 89% 90k $1.8M (exactly $1,792,503) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo $19.99 1,993 97% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,195,202) Pocket Trap
Tomb Raider: Legend older $6.99 5,430 87% 163k $1.1M (exactly $1,138,671) Crystal Dynamics
The Wife Next Door $16.99 1,951 89% 59k $994k (exactly $994,425) 雪山雞白郎, SnowGBL
Instruments of Destruction older $19.99 1,429 91% 43k $857k (exactly $856,971) Radiangames
Green Hell VR older $19.99 1,143 57% 34k $685k (exactly $685,457) Incuvo
Grandpa High on Retro $7.99 2,068 88% 62k $496k (exactly $495,700) Ashnell Games
UNDERWARD $9.99 593 73% 18k $178k (exactly $177,722) INTENSE
Hachishakusama | 八尺様がいた夏休み $7.44 388 94% 12k $87k (exactly $86,602) Fukachi World
Chasmal Fear $19.99 55 52% 1.7k $33k (exactly $32,984) MystiveDev
DRONE PERSPECTIVE · EA $12.99 84 88% 2.5k $33k (exactly $32,735) Demetri Lind
Jaden Williams' The Stalking Stairs $2.99 343 88% 10k $31k (exactly $30,767) Jaden Williams

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