Do I ship it?

GamesInteractive FictionInteractive Fiction + Assassins

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Assassin Interactive Fiction?

Interactive Fiction + Assassins

Only 14 developers shipped an Assassin Interactive Fiction in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, BLACKWOOD, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×1.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $420k, ×283 the market median. Revenue is up 360% on the market; 27 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 360% on the market, 27 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Interactive Fiction + Assassins
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $2.7k → $6.3k → $180 → $2.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Interactive Fiction + Assassins: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $2.7k (exactly $2,695)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $11,324)
Top 5% $424k (exactly $423,580)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 48
Announced 27
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 360% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
Assassins
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Interactive Fiction
Price point
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 77% positive over 1,818 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $2.7k, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $420k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Interactive Fiction with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair164 devs · median $36k · 162 announced
  2. + Match 3Fair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  3. + VampiresFair41 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  4. + SportsFair19 devs · median $1.5k · 19 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair160 devs · median $1.4k · 144 announced
  6. + PiratesFair7 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  7. + DrivingFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 13 announced
  8. + DiplomacyFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  9. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  10. + Board GameFair9 devs · median $657 · 12 announced
  11. + SnowFair10 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  12. + BuildingFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced

All 169 pairs on the Interactive Fiction page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
BLACKWOOD $24.99 565 46% 17k $424k (exactly $423,580) AttritoM7 Productions
Evil School $7.99 1,058 92% 32k $254k (exactly $253,603) CineGame Interactive
NO, THANK YOU!!! older $39.99 180 87% 5.4k $216k (exactly $215,946) parade
江华号 older $9.99 132 70% 4.0k $40k (exactly $39,560) 知音动漫
French Crime Detective Game older $19.99 40 92% 1.2k $24k (exactly $23,988) Rakame 7
1953 - KGB Unleashed older $2.99 218 63% 6.5k $20k (exactly $19,555) ·
The Divine Deception older $14.99 38 86% 1.1k $17k (exactly $17,089) Themisian
Grizzly Man $8.99 52 90% 1.6k $14k (exactly $14,024) LCB Game Studio
Immortal Mantis older $1.99 226 94% 6.8k $13k (exactly $13,492) Bitlife
Detective Penguin $6.99 54 87% 1.6k $11k (exactly $11,324) That Other Fish, That Fish
Midnight Saturn $9.99 28 82% 840 $8.4k (exactly $8,392) Cosmic Void
CrimeBot 2: Detective Mystery Games $7.99 24 50% 720 $5.8k (exactly $5,753) RoboBot Studio
Futa Night ⚔️ $4.99 18 83% 540 $2.7k (exactly $2,695) TheBigO Games
Circus of the Moon $5.99 12 91% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) Davter17
My Oppai Mommy Makes Me Want To Spill All Of My Company Secrets $6.99 5 80% 150 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Peach Punch
Niut $3.00 2 50% 60 $180 (exactly $180) AF Works ®

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