Do I ship it?

GamesOpen WorldOpen World + Conspiracy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Conspiracy Open World game?

Open World + Conspiracy

Only 13 developers shipped a Conspiracy Open World 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, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 51 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $420, ×0.3 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180. 51 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper, while revenue is down 85% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 51 announced, ×5.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Open World + Conspiracy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $119 → $56k → $8.4k → $358 → $9.9k (still earning) → $180 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Open World + Conspiracy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $419 (exactly $419)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,795)
Top 5% $3.5M (exactly $3,492,327)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 57
Announced 51
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 85% on the market, supply 235% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Open World
effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
Conspiracy
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Open World; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Choices Matter, Exploration
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Comic Book, Dark Comedy
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 3,017 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $420, 1 in 4 over $4.7k, 1 in 20 over $3.4M.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 51 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Open World with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + WuxiaFair12 devs · median $634k · 17 announced
  2. + 4 Player LocalFair14 devs · median $82k · 20 announced
  3. + VampiresFair15 devs · median $23k · 21 announced
  4. + TrainsFair27 devs · median $21k · 25 announced
  5. + FMVFair11 devs · median $14k · 13 announced
  6. + GothicFair25 devs · median $5.4k · 32 announced
  7. + MarsFair12 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  8. + TanksFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 11 announced
  9. + FaithLong shot11 devs · median $716 · 14 announced
  10. + DiplomacyPoor odds13 devs · median $1.8M · 38 announced
  11. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds8 devs · median $767k · 11 announced
  12. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds17 devs · median $267k · 65 announced

All 240 pairs on the Open World page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Assassin's Creed 2 older $19.99 57,661 89% 1.7M $35M (exactly $34,579,302) Ubisoft Montreal
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided older $29.99 30,709 77% 921k $28M (exactly $27,628,887) Eidos Montreal, Feral Interactive (Linu… (Eidos Montreal, Feral Interactive (Linux/Mac))
Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood older $19.99 24,958 88% 749k $15M (exactly $14,967,313) Ubisoft Montreal
Assassin's Creed™: Director's Cut Edition older $19.99 23,875 80% 716k $14M (exactly $14,317,837) Ubisoft Montreal
Assassin's Creed® Revelations older $19.99 19,244 83% 577k $12M (exactly $11,540,627) Ubisoft Montreal
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies $39.99 2,911 83% 87k $3.5M (exactly $3,492,327) ZA/UM
Assassin’s Creed® Liberation HD older $19.99 3,051 54% 92k $1.8M (exactly $1,829,685) Ubisoft Sofia
NUTS older $24.99 884 88% 27k $663k (exactly $662,735) Joon, Pol, Muutsch, Char & Torfi
Disney•Pixar Cars 2: The Video Game older $19.99 970 79% 29k $582k (exactly $581,709) Avalanche Software
Else Heart.Break() older $24.99 347 78% 10k $260k (exactly $260,146) Erik Svedäng, El Huervo / Niklas Åkerbl… (Erik Svedäng, El Huervo / Niklas Åkerblad, Tobias Sjögren, Oscar "Ratvader" Rydelius, Johannes Gotlén)
A Death in the Red Light $9.99 38 73% 1.1k $11k (exactly $11,389) Mystery City Games BV
Inky Blinky Bob $9.99 33 81% 990 $9.9k (exactly $9,890) ELDELIC GAMES
INVISIBLE FLOW $9.99 16 81% 480 $4.8k (exactly $4,795) DOGHADHOUSE
LANDED $5.99 4 100% 120 $719 (exactly $719) Delighted Games LLC
The World Ends in Ohio $3.99 5 80% 150 $598 (exactly $598) PDS Games
MMNANA $6.99 2 100% 60 $419 (exactly $419) EHG
My Local Bee Cult $1.99 6 100% 180 $358 (exactly $358) SlimeInSpace
Dream City Fugitive $7.99 1 100% 30 $240 (exactly $240) DC Inspiration
Splimbo City · EA $5.99 1 100% 30 $180 (exactly $180) Splimbo Works

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.