Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Visual Novel
Should I ship a Visual Novel Action RPG?
Action RPG + Visual Novel
Of 45 developers who shipped a Visual Novel 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.. 83 more are announced, ×3.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.1k, ×2.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $1.6M, ×1069 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 83 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $719 (exactly $719) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.1k (exactly $3,144) |
| Top 25% | $49k (exactly $49,206) |
| Top 5% | $1.6M (exactly $1,601,733) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 45 |
| Released games | 149 |
| Announced | 83 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 65% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, 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
- Visual Novel
- effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Action RPG, Visual Novel; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Action
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 3D, Anime
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 91% positive over 11,253 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 6 in 10 of the 32 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 83 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action RPG with a different second tag, 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
Sora no Kiseki the 1st 2025 · $9.4M 
Fate/Samurai Remnant 2023 · $6.0M 
Fate/EXTELLA 2017 · $4.9M 
Promise Mascot Agency 2025 · $1.9M 
Ys X: Nordics 2024 · $1.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sora no Kiseki the 1st | $59.99 | 5,205 97% | 156k | $9.4M (exactly $9,367,438) | Nihon Falcom | |
| | Fate/Samurai Remnant | older | $39.99 | 5,018 90% | 151k | $6.0M (exactly $6,020,095) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | Fate/EXTELLA | older | $39.99 | 4,091 91% | 123k | $4.9M (exactly $4,907,973) | Marvelous Inc. |
| | Promise Mascot Agency | $24.99 | 2,569 96% | 77k | $1.9M (exactly $1,925,979) | Kaizen Game Works | |
| | Ys X: Nordics | $59.99 | 890 76% | 27k | $1.6M (exactly $1,601,733) | Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH | |
 | SAMURAI MAIDEN | older | $59.99 | 648 60% | 19k | $1.2M (exactly $1,166,206) | SHADE Inc. |
 | Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment | older | $19.99 | 1,862 78% | 56k | $1.1M (exactly $1,116,641) | AQURIA Co., Ltd. |
 | Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate | older | $39.99 | 329 43% | 9.9k | $395k (exactly $394,701) | MAGES. Inc. |
 | 消失的航班，还有她她她！Lost in the secret! | $19.99 | 602 89% | 18k | $361k (exactly $361,019) | Humongous Pictures | |
 | Ys X: Proud Nordics | $69.99 | 168 75% | 5.0k | $353k (exactly $352,750) | Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH | |
 | Starlight Revolver | · EA | $12.99 | 404 54% | 12k | $157k (exactly $157,439) | Pahdo Labs |
 | 桃色武林 | $9.99 | 504 78% | 15k | $151k (exactly $151,049) | 人型ですカオス | |
 | Warrior of Lust | $11.99 | 255 79% | 7.7k | $92k (exactly $91,724) | Aerisetta | |
 | Femtazio | $9.99 | 304 81% | 9.1k | $91k (exactly $91,109) | Aerisetta | |
 | Survivor's Notes | $6.99 | 352 91% | 11k | $74k (exactly $73,814) | MYSTERY CROWN, YESPLAY |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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