Games › Puzzle › Puzzle + Aliens
Should I ship an Alien Puzzle game?
Puzzle + Aliens
Of 124 developers who shipped an Alien Puzzle 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.. 158 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×248 the market median. Revenue is up 60% on the market; 158 games are announced against 64 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $599 (exactly $599) |
| Top 25% | $4.3k (exactly $4,313) |
| Top 5% | $118k (exactly $117,741) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 124 |
| Released games | 397 |
| Announced | 158 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 60% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Puzzle; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Action
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 13,642 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 76 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 158 games are announced against 64 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Puzzle with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Medical SimFair
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + VampiresFair
- + CatsFair
- + DemonsFair
- + God GameFair
- + RomanceFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + LemmingsFair
Comparable games
Half-Life 2 2004 · $61M 
ROUTINE 2025 · $5.5M 
Surgeon Simulator 2013 · $4.1M 
Half-Life: Opposing Force 1999 · $3.8M 
Hidden Deep 2022 · EA · $3.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Half-Life 2 | older | $9.99 | 202,782 97% | 6.1M | $61M (exactly $60,773,765) | Valve |
| | ROUTINE | $24.99 | 7,322 91% | 220k | $5.5M (exactly $5,489,303) | Lunar Software | |
| | Surgeon Simulator | older | $9.99 | 13,796 82% | 414k | $4.1M (exactly $4,134,661) | Bossa Studios |
| | Half-Life: Opposing Force | older | $4.99 | 25,448 95% | 763k | $3.8M (exactly $3,809,566) | Gearbox Software |
| | Hidden Deep | · EA older | $24.99 | 4,293 76% | 129k | $3.2M (exactly $3,218,462) | Cogwheel Software |
 | Half-Life: Blue Shift | older | $4.99 | 18,660 92% | 560k | $2.8M (exactly $2,793,402) | Gearbox Software |
 | A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead | $29.99 | 2,331 74% | 70k | $2.1M (exactly $2,097,201) | Stormind Games | |
 | Infinifactory | older | $24.99 | 1,790 95% | 54k | $1.3M (exactly $1,341,963) | Zachtronics |
 | STASIS: BONE TOTEM | older | $19.99 | 2,025 93% | 61k | $1.2M (exactly $1,214,392) | THE BROTHERHOOD |
 | In Other Waters | older | $14.99 | 2,093 88% | 63k | $941k (exactly $941,222) | Jump Over The Age |
 | The Message from Deep Space | $9.99 | 1,453 96% | 44k | $435k (exactly $435,464) | Applesinmypants | |
 | ENTITY: THE BLACK DAY | $17.99 | 494 79% | 15k | $267k (exactly $266,612) | ASD Games Studio | |
 | Elroy and the Aliens | $17.99 | 463 97% | 14k | $250k (exactly $249,881) | Motiviti | |
 | Machinika: Atlas | $11.99 | 574 76% | 17k | $206k (exactly $206,468) | Littlefield Studio | |
 | Space Accident VR | $16.99 | 231 82% | 6.9k | $118k (exactly $117,741) | VR-WRG | |
 | Earth Must Die | $15.99 | 238 85% | 7.1k | $114k (exactly $114,169) | Size Five Games | |
 | 愚人船 NARRENSCHIFF | · EA | $12.00 | 310 95% | 9.3k | $112k (exactly $111,600) | Anonymous, Anonymous |
 | Mosaic of the Strange | $12.99 | 226 92% | 6.8k | $88k (exactly $88,072) | Mark Ffrench |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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