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Should I ship a Choices Matter Space Sim?
Space Sim + Choices Matter
Of 35 developers who shipped a Choices Matter Space Sim 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.. 78 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $38k, ×62 the market median. Revenue is up 180% on the market; 78 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $270 (exactly $270) |
|---|---|
| Median | $598 (exactly $598) |
| Top 25% | $4.6k (exactly $4,641) |
| Top 5% | $39k (exactly $38,674) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 35 |
| Released games | 90 |
| Announced | 78 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 180% on the market, supply 150% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Space Sim
- effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
- Choices Matter
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Space Sim, Choices Matter; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Exploration, Management
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $34.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $34.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 4,548 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 78 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Space Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + DestructionFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + Tactical RPGFair
- + WarFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + SportsFair
- + DiplomacyLong shot
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Strategy RPGPoor odds
- + SandboxPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
Comparable games
Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown 2026 · $4.4M 
Star Trek: Infinite 2023 · $2.7M 
Dune: Imperium 2024 · $2.6M 
Mars Horizon 2020 · $1.7M 
Shortest Trip to Earth 2019 · $980k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown | $34.99 | 4,162 79% | 125k | $4.4M (exactly $4,368,851) | Gamexcite | |
| | Star Trek: Infinite | older | $29.99 | 3,030 41% | 91k | $2.7M (exactly $2,726,091) | Nimble Giant Entertainment |
| | Dune: Imperium | older | $22.99 | 3,806 94% | 114k | $2.6M (exactly $2,624,998) | Dire Wolf |
| | Mars Horizon | older | $19.99 | 2,757 84% | 83k | $1.7M (exactly $1,653,373) | Auroch Digital |
| | Shortest Trip to Earth | older | $25.99 | 1,257 76% | 38k | $980k (exactly $980,083) | Interactive Fate |
 | The Fermi Paradox | · EA older | $18.99 | 956 76% | 29k | $545k (exactly $544,633) | Anomaly Games |
 | Cosmonautica | older | $9.99 | 948 48% | 28k | $284k (exactly $284,116) | Chasing Carrots |
 | Gaia Beyond | older | $14.99 | 240 73% | 7.2k | $108k (exactly $107,928) | Warp Turtle |
 | Space Wreck | older | $16.99 | 170 88% | 5.1k | $87k (exactly $86,649) | Pahris Entertainment SIA |
 | Ceiba | older | $6.99 | 255 94% | 7.7k | $53k (exactly $53,474) | Wirion, 7DOTS |
 | Lunar Ascendant | $14.99 | 86 44% | 2.6k | $39k (exactly $38,674) | Darts Games | |
 | Endless Dark | $7.99 | 115 99% | 3.5k | $28k (exactly $27,566) | Little Light Studios, LLC | |
 | Periapsis: Eclipse | · EA | $14.99 | 53 71% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $23,834) | Skytrellis Games |
 | Space Sprouts | $10.99 | 51 96% | 1.5k | $17k (exactly $16,815) | Schleuder Games | |
 | Galactum Meridian | · EA | $19.99 | 14 14% | 420 | $8.4k (exactly $8,396) | Hedra Games |
 | Become Emperor! My Trillion Beauties Planet Empire | $39.99 | 6 16% | 180 | $7.2k (exactly $7,198) | 万亿美女星球工程设计研究院, Trillion Beauties Planet… (万亿美女星球工程设计研究院, Trillion Beauties Planet Engineering Design Institute) | |
 | Into the M.A.W. | $14.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $4.9k (exactly $4,947) | Moonrise Studios | |
 | Holding Pattern | $4.99 | 31 96% | 930 | $4.6k (exactly $4,641) | Orange Acorn Games | |
 | Exodus: The Colonization of Space | $6.99 | 19 100% | 570 | $4.0k (exactly $3,984) | Artex |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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