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Should I ship an Investigation Card Game?
Investigation + Card Game
Only 14 developers shipped an Investigation Card Game 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, The Horror at Highrook, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×4.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $6.6k, ×14 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×582 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 34 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $60 (exactly $60) |
|---|---|
| Median | $6.6k (exactly $6,593) |
| Top 25% | $19k (exactly $18,663) |
| Top 5% | $276k (exactly $276,462) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 34 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 100% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 14%, 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
- Card Game
- effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Investigation, Card Game; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, RPG, Simulation
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, Hand-drawn
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 1,180 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $60. 7 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Investigation with a different second tag, 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
- + SciencePoor odds
- + NoirPoor odds
Comparable games
Depersonalization 2024 · $3.6M 
Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition 2018 · $1.6M 
The Horror at Highrook 2025 · $276k 
The Solitaire Conspiracy 2020 · $267k 
Dead Town Tales 2023 · $150k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Depersonalization | older | $19.99 | 6,041 92% | 181k | $3.6M (exactly $3,622,788) | MeowNature |
| | Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition | older | $16.99 | 3,096 88% | 93k | $1.6M (exactly $1,578,031) | Marmalade Game Studio Ltd |
| | The Horror at Highrook | $19.99 | 461 90% | 14k | $276k (exactly $276,462) | Nullpointer Games | |
| | The Solitaire Conspiracy | older | $11.99 | 742 89% | 22k | $267k (exactly $266,897) | Bithell Games |
| | Dead Town Tales | older | $11.99 | 417 82% | 13k | $150k (exactly $149,995) | 拾遗工作室 |
 | Occlude | $7.99 | 348 86% | 10k | $83k (exactly $83,416) | Tributary Games | |
 | Nancy Drew®: The Phantom of Venice | older | $9.99 | 204 90% | 6.1k | $61k (exactly $61,139) | HeR Interactive |
 | The Magister | older | $14.99 | 103 91% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $46,319) | Nerdook Productions |
 | Eyes of Hellfire | · EA | $9.99 | 153 70% | 4.6k | $46k (exactly $45,854) | Gambrinous |
 | The Specter's Desire | older | $19.99 | 47 97% | 1.4k | $28k (exactly $28,186) | Themisian |
 | Trading Card Inspector | $6.99 | 89 96% | 2.7k | $19k (exactly $18,663) | Daydream Gallery | |
 | Prison Notes | $9.99 | 38 94% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,389) | 闻岚工坊（Vinland Studio） | |
 | Dungeon Tells | $7.99 | 32 75% | 960 | $7.7k (exactly $7,670) | Ace Benoff | |
 | Castaway Hand | $9.99 | 22 36% | 660 | $6.6k (exactly $6,593) | BAOCHUAN | |
 | DEATHMARK | · EA | $4.99 | 35 91% | 1.1k | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) | Wired Creations Studio |
 | Solitaire of Stygian Shadows | $9.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Māris Ozols | |
 | Yorvik's Game | $1.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | Firewake///Trails |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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