Games › Investigation › Investigation + Artificial Intelligence
Should I ship an AI Investigation game?
Investigation + Artificial Intelligence
Of 43 developers who shipped an AI Investigation 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.. 73 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×3.2 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×472 the market median. Revenue is up 530% on the market; 73 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $416 (exactly $416) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) |
| Top 25% | $21k (exactly $20,990) |
| Top 5% | $224k (exactly $224,288) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 43 |
| Released games | 118 |
| Announced | 73 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 530% on the market, supply 70% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Artificial Intelligence
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Investigation; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Choices Matter, Exploration
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Anime
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 77% positive over 3,858 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 73 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Investigation with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Escape RoomFair
- + IdlerFair
- + TriviaLong shot
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
- + RomancePoor odds
- + GothicPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Card GamePoor odds
- + SciencePoor odds
Comparable games
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative 2022 · $4.3M 
while True: learn() 2019 · $2.9M 
Ghost Exorcism INC. 2021 · EA · $1.5M 
The Talos Principle: Reawakened 2025 · $1.3M 
No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES 2025 · $1.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative | older | $39.99 | 3,571 86% | 107k | $4.3M (exactly $4,284,129) | Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. |
| | while True: learn() | older | $12.99 | 7,350 91% | 221k | $2.9M (exactly $2,864,295) | Luden.io |
| | Ghost Exorcism INC. | · EA older | $11.99 | 4,256 76% | 128k | $1.5M (exactly $1,530,883) | StudioGoupil |
| | The Talos Principle: Reawakened | $39.99 | 1,085 90% | 33k | $1.3M (exactly $1,301,674) | Croteam | |
| | No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES | $39.99 | 835 79% | 25k | $1.0M (exactly $1,001,750) | Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. | |
 | Nucleares | older | $14.99 | 1,121 84% | 34k | $504k (exactly $504,114) | Iván Marcelo Pretti |
 | Counter Terrorist Agency | older | $19.99 | 479 43% | 14k | $287k (exactly $287,256) | Play2Chill |
 | Titanic Escape Simulator™ | $19.99 | 374 52% | 11k | $224k (exactly $224,288) | magicprostudio, Vintage Digital Revival | |
 | Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition | older | $9.99 | 617 74% | 19k | $185k (exactly $184,915) | Nightdive Studios, Westwood Studios |
 | Vaudeville | $19.99 | 283 48% | 8.5k | $170k (exactly $169,715) | Bumblebee Studios | |
 | Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles | $10.99 | 445 70% | 13k | $147k (exactly $146,716) | Pugsy Studios | |
 | NTR Hunter | $14.99 | 119 78% | 3.6k | $54k (exactly $53,514) | Team18 | |
 | Police Officer | $11.99 | 125 65% | 3.8k | $45k (exactly $44,962) | Turquoise Games | |
 | My proud girlfriend--Lina Chapter | $5.99 | 210 91% | 6.3k | $38k (exactly $37,737) | zzzgame | |
 | 60 Minutes to Extinction: Escape Room | $7.99 | 153 82% | 4.6k | $37k (exactly $36,674) | mc2games | |
 | 执念刑警之消失的证人 | $3.99 | 229 88% | 6.9k | $27k (exactly $27,411) | 迷雾工作室 |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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