Games › Combat › Combat + Thriller
Should I ship a Thriller Combat game?
Combat + Thriller
Of 94 developers who shipped a Thriller Combat 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.. 153 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $840, ×1.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $76k, ×122 the market median. Revenue is up 190% on the market; 153 games are announced against 52 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $240 (exactly $240) |
|---|---|
| Median | $838 (exactly $838) |
| Top 25% | $3.8k (exactly $3,775) |
| Top 5% | $76k (exactly $76,381) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 94 |
| Released games | 199 |
| Announced | 153 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 190% on the market, supply 25% 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.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Combat; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Survival Horror
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, First-Person, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 4,869 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 48 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 153 games are announced against 52 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Combat with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Real-Time with PauseStrong odds
- + 4XFair
- + TypingFair
- + VampiresFair
- + SnowFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + Match 3Long shot
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + Political SimPoor odds
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
Comparable games
Dead Space™ 3 2020 · $7.3M 
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One 2021 · $5.7M 
Alone in the Dark 2024 · $4.0M 
The Thing: Remastered 2024 · $1.1M 
A.I.L.A 2025 · $800k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Dead Space™ 3 | older | $19.99 | 12,238 72% | 367k | $7.3M (exactly $7,339,129) | Visceral Games |
| | Sherlock Holmes Chapter One | older | $44.99 | 4,189 77% | 126k | $5.7M (exactly $5,653,893) | Frogwares |
| | Alone in the Dark | older | $39.99 | 3,325 77% | 100k | $4.0M (exactly $3,989,002) | Pieces Interactive |
| | The Thing: Remastered | $29.99 | 1,203 89% | 36k | $1.1M (exactly $1,082,339) | Nightdive Studios, Computer Artworks | |
| | A.I.L.A | $29.99 | 889 81% | 27k | $800k (exactly $799,833) | Pulsatrix Studios | |
 | Burnhouse Lane | older | $14.99 | 1,039 94% | 31k | $467k (exactly $467,238) | Harvester Games |
 | Clawed | $19.99 | 729 52% | 22k | $437k (exactly $437,181) | Flatrock Games | |
 | They Killed Your Cat | $6.99 | 883 75% | 26k | $185k (exactly $185,165) | Vekaria | |
 | Death Relives | $12.99 | 196 81% | 5.9k | $76k (exactly $76,381) | Nyctophile Studios | |
 | Malum | older | $4.99 | 400 72% | 12k | $60k (exactly $59,880) | MalumGames |
 | Bleak Haven | $14.99 | 131 41% | 3.9k | $59k (exactly $58,911) | Hitori De Productions | |
 | Miami Paradise 2 | $14.99 | 131 94% | 3.9k | $59k (exactly $58,911) | Entropy Digital Entertainment | |
 | Crabmeat | $7.99 | 181 86% | 5.4k | $43k (exactly $43,386) | Nicholas McDonnell, Mitchell Pasmans | |
 | Temple of the Green Moon | $14.99 | 94 75% | 2.8k | $42k (exactly $42,272) | OLKON GAMES | |
 | Better Days | $2.99 | 432 70% | 13k | $39k (exactly $38,750) | 全自动花花 |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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