Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Noir
Should I ship a Noir Action RPG?
Action RPG + Noir
Of 27 developers who shipped a Noir Action RPG 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.. 50 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.6k, ×1.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $330k, ×225 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 50 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $719 (exactly $719) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.6k (exactly $2,637) |
| Top 25% | $15k (exactly $15,095) |
| Top 5% | $337k (exactly $337,275) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 27 |
| Released games | 64 |
| Announced | 50 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Action RPG
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Noir
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Action RPG; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Action, Adventure
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Dark Comedy, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 16,544 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 9 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action RPG with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + NavalFair
- + Local Co-OpFair
- + WesternFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + Walking SimulatorLong shot
- + WuxiaPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + MechsPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
Comparable games
Shadows of Doubt 2024 · $11M 
Fashion Police Squad 2022 · $523k 
Crimson Oath 2026 · $337k 
HOTEL BARCELONA 2025 · $242k 
Withering Realms 2026 · EA · $190k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Shadows of Doubt | $24.99 | 14,646 82% | 439k | $11M (exactly $10,980,106) | ColePowered Games | |
| | Fashion Police Squad | older | $19.99 | 872 90% | 26k | $523k (exactly $522,938) | Mopeful Games |
| | Crimson Oath | $14.99 | 750 82% | 23k | $337k (exactly $337,275) | Parry Frames Team | |
| | HOTEL BARCELONA | $29.99 | 269 71% | 8.1k | $242k (exactly $242,019) | White Owls Inc. | |
| | Withering Realms | · EA | $19.99 | 317 95% | 9.5k | $190k (exactly $190,105) | Moonless Formless |
 | Lovecraft's Untold Stories 2 | older | $19.99 | 130 37% | 3.9k | $78k (exactly $77,961) | LLC Blini Games |
 | Hariti | $6.99 | 318 88% | 9.5k | $67k (exactly $66,685) | Ghostcase | |
 | Labyrinth of Zangetsu | older | $29.99 | 70 70% | 2.1k | $63k (exactly $62,979) | ACQUIRE Corp., KaeruPanda Inc. |
 | DEEP FOG | · EA older | $14.99 | 140 70% | 4.2k | $63k (exactly $62,958) | Devil Beetle Games |
 | Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint | older | $19.99 | 101 70% | 3.0k | $61k (exactly $60,570) | Hack The Publisher |
 | Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split | $24.99 | 24 50% | 720 | $18k (exactly $17,993) | Dead Drop Studios LLC | |
 | Dark Bone Prison | $5.99 | 84 95% | 2.5k | $15k (exactly $15,095) | Bunny Moon Shady | |
 | TOUHOU RHAPSODY OF MOON RABBIT | · EA | $9.99 | 47 82% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $14,086) | 瓦尔基里游戏 |
 | DOOMED Detective Game | $6.99 | 65 46% | 2.0k | $14k (exactly $13,630) | Azikton Studio | |
 | 血姬：双生 (Vampiress: Eternal Duet) | $9.99 | 24 58% | 720 | $7.2k (exactly $7,193) | 织界者 (Realm Weaver Studio) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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