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Should I ship a Hacking Choices Matter game?
Choices Matter + Hacking
Of 38 developers who shipped a Hacking Choices Matter 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.. 80 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×2.2 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $260; 1 in 20 cleared $74k, ×157 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 80 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $258 (exactly $258) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) |
| Top 25% | $5.5k (exactly $5,513) |
| Top 5% | $75k (exactly $74,707) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 38 |
| Released games | 80 |
| Announced | 80 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 30% on the market, supply 145% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 6%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Choices Matter
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Hacking
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Choices Matter; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, RPG, Strategy
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, Dialogue Heavy
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 5,934 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $260. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 80 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Choices Matter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Escape RoomFair
- + SportsFair
- + RhythmFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + TriviaFair
- + Board GameFair
- + RacingFair
- + ChessFair
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + RomePoor odds
- + World War IPoor odds
Comparable games
Hacknet 2015 · $5.1M 
Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You 2016 · $2.7M 
Observer: System Redux 2020 · $2.2M 
Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator 2025 · $2.0M 
Beyond a Steel Sky 2020 · $1.4M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Hacknet | older | $9.99 | 16,910 93% | 507k | $5.1M (exactly $5,067,927) | Team Fractal Alligator |
| | Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You | older | $9.99 | 8,936 90% | 268k | $2.7M (exactly $2,678,119) | Osmotic Studios |
| | Observer: System Redux | older | $29.99 | 2,462 84% | 74k | $2.2M (exactly $2,215,061) | Bloober Team, Anshar Studios |
| | Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator | $12.99 | 5,191 92% | 156k | $2.0M (exactly $2,022,933) | Aluba Van+ | |
| | Beyond a Steel Sky | older | $34.99 | 1,295 87% | 39k | $1.4M (exactly $1,359,362) | Revolution Software Ltd |
 | ANONYMOUS;CODE | older | $59.99 | 510 78% | 15k | $918k (exactly $917,847) | MAGES. Inc. |
 | Song of Farca | older | $19.99 | 1,385 78% | 42k | $831k (exactly $830,584) | Wooden Monkeys |
 | Orwell: Ignorance is Strength | older | $9.99 | 1,506 77% | 45k | $451k (exactly $451,348) | Osmotic Studios |
 | SIMULACRA 2 | older | $7.99 | 1,378 87% | 41k | $330k (exactly $330,307) | Kaigan Games |
 | Counter Terrorist Agency | older | $19.99 | 479 43% | 14k | $287k (exactly $287,256) | Play2Chill |
 | PARKSIDE: DECAYED SOUL MANIPULATION | $13.99 | 178 87% | 5.3k | $75k (exactly $74,707) | Banana Hardsoft | |
 | Hacked: The Streamer | $8.49 | 268 73% | 8.0k | $68k (exactly $68,260) | Button Interactive, NAISU | |
 | Web Host Simulator | · EA | $24.99 | 42 26% | 1.3k | $31k (exactly $31,487) | Chibum |
 | Backseat | $9.99 | 85 71% | 2.6k | $25k (exactly $25,474) | HOGO Games | |
 | Within the Cosmos | $14.99 | 53 43% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $23,834) | debdev | |
 | Cyber Warrior | $19.99 | 39 84% | 1.2k | $23k (exactly $23,388) | Dunke Games | |
 | Hello Stranger | $9.99 | 31 80% | 930 | $9.3k (exactly $9,291) | PRM Games | |
 | Torrent Empire | $7.99 | 24 62% | 720 | $5.8k (exactly $5,753) | Steel Games | |
 | AI is Home - Survival Thriller | $7.99 | 23 60% | 690 | $5.5k (exactly $5,513) | pressanykey |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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