Do I ship it?

GamesSurvival HorrorSurvival Horror + Assassins

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Assassin Survival Horror?

Survival Horror + Assassins

Of 20 developers who shipped an Assassin Survival Horror 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.. 30 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $73k, ×49 the market median. Revenue is up 285% on the market; 30 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 285% on the market, 30 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Survival Horror + Assassins
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.2k → $7.0k → $327 → $898 → $2.2k → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Survival Horror + Assassins: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,618)
Top 25% $20k (exactly $19,793)
Top 5% $74k (exactly $73,588)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 57
Announced 30
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.00

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 285% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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.

Survival Horror
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
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
Survival Horror; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Multiple Endings
Price point
$5.00 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $5.00.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 777 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $19k, 1 in 20 over $73k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 30 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Survival Horror with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair13 devs · median $31k · 14 announced
  2. + DrivingFair20 devs · median $4.9k · 25 announced
  3. + Tower DefenseFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 16 announced
  4. + IncrementalFair16 devs · median $1.6k · 19 announced
  5. + SnowFair17 devs · median $1.2k · 15 announced
  6. + SportsFair5 devs · median $959 · 3 announced
  7. + Outbreak SimFair22 devs · median $958 · 24 announced
  8. + 3D PlatformerFair111 devs · median $539 · 104 announced
  9. + Boomer ShooterFair27 devs · median $449 · 28 announced
  10. + Turn-Based CombatPoor odds10 devs · median $64k · 42 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds17 devs · median $52k · 21 announced
  12. + Spectacle fighterPoor odds8 devs · median $52k · 12 announced

All 159 pairs on the Survival Horror page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Escape the Ayurok older $10.99 996 79% 30k $328k (exactly $328,381) DeadlyCrow Games
MADiSON VR older $34.99 207 76% 6.2k $217k (exactly $217,288) BLOODIOUS GAMES
THE LAST TRAIN: Baquedano $7.99 307 91% 9.2k $74k (exactly $73,588) Matías Avilés
GAME.exe older $3.99 415 83% 12k $50k (exactly $49,676) Punx Studios
The Lacerator $9.99 161 99% 4.8k $48k (exactly $48,252) Games From The Abyss
Lycans older $4.99 309 91% 9.3k $46k (exactly $46,257) Onu Games
Deca older $18.99 43 83% 1.3k $24k (exactly $24,497) Chrome Horizon 3D
Beyond R: Rule Ripper $24.99 32 90% 960 $24k (exactly $23,990) Tohriv, GJ Staff
Five Nights at Dream's​ $3.99 181 91% 5.4k $22k (exactly $21,666) PurpleCrit
Oxide Room 208 $29.99 22 31% 660 $20k (exactly $19,793) WildSphere
Outbreak Zombie Plague $3.99 32 34% 960 $3.8k (exactly $3,830) Aurora Studios
Bloody Hills $5.99 16 93% 480 $2.9k (exactly $2,875) Bloody Pitchfork Games
Umbra: Veins of Vengeance $5.99 12 91% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) Leslie Phillips, QuantuMedia
Phantom Playhouse $7.99 8 62% 240 $1.9k (exactly $1,918) Kakytron
Don't Stop In Red Wood $8.99 6 83% 180 $1.6k (exactly $1,618) Diego Victor

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