Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Horror
Should I ship a Horror Class-Based game?
Class-Based + Horror
Of 21 developers who shipped a Horror Class-Based 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.. 57 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×0.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $880k, ×592 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 57 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 25% | $7.2k (exactly $7,195) |
| Top 5% | $887k (exactly $886,956) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 21 |
| Released games | 50 |
| Announced | 57 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 65% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Class-Based
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Horror
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Class-Based; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, PvE, RPG
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Dark, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 63% positive over 3,985 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 57 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Class-Based with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Bullet HeavenFair
- + SupernaturalLong shot
- + 2D PlatformerLong shot
- + FPSPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
- + WarPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds
- + WargamePoor odds
Comparable games
Deep Rock Galactic 2020 · $273M 
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 2022 · $130M 
Killing Floor 2009 · $24M 
SKALD: Against the Black Priory 2024 · $1.5M 
FBC: Firebreak 2025 · $1.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Deep Rock Galactic | older | $29.99 | 303,142 97% | 9.1M | $273M (exactly $272,736,857) | Ghost Ship Games |
| | Warhammer 40,000: Darktide | older | $39.99 | 108,477 72% | 3.3M | $130M (exactly $130,139,857) | Fatshark |
| | Killing Floor | older | $19.99 | 39,850 95% | 1.2M | $24M (exactly $23,898,045) | Tripwire Interactive |
| | SKALD: Against the Black Priory | older | $14.99 | 3,325 93% | 100k | $1.5M (exactly $1,495,252) | High North Studios AS |
| | FBC: Firebreak | $19.99 | 1,985 65% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,190,404) | Remedy Entertainment | |
 | The Midnight Walkers | · EA | $19.99 | 1,479 54% | 44k | $887k (exactly $886,956) | Oneway Ticket Studio |
 | Kingdom of Night | $19.99 | 326 86% | 9.8k | $196k (exactly $195,502) | Friends of Safety | |
 | Vade Retro : Exorcist | older | $6.99 | 921 70% | 28k | $193k (exactly $193,134) | Forceight |
 | MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme | · EA | $19.99 | 81 77% | 2.4k | $49k (exactly $48,576) | Morbidware |
 | Deadnaut: Signal Lost | older | $14.99 | 92 85% | 2.8k | $41k (exactly $41,372) | Screwfly Studios |
 | Board Game Society | $14.99 | 29 62% | 870 | $13k (exactly $13,041) | Jetebra Games | |
 | Minerva Labyrinth | $14.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $7.2k (exactly $7,195) | Midnight Spire Games | |
 | BAR | $5.99 | 20 70% | 600 | $3.6k (exactly $3,594) | TechieMay | |
 | Make It Count | $7.99 | 14 50% | 420 | $3.4k (exactly $3,356) | Sky Games | |
 | New Meat | $4.99 | 21 100% | 630 | $3.1k (exactly $3,144) | Alex Lemley | |
 | JunkTok: Paranormal Investigators Challenge | $4.99 | 14 64% | 420 | $2.1k (exactly $2,096) | nordissimo |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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