Games › Crafting › Crafting + Investigation
Should I ship a Crafting Investigation game?
Crafting + Investigation
Only 19 developers shipped a Crafting Investigation 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, The Horror at Highrook, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 69 more are announced, ×7.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×1.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×440 the market median. Revenue is up 170% on the market; 69 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 25% | $6.6k (exactly $6,593) |
| Top 5% | $276k (exactly $276,462) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 19 |
| Released games | 55 |
| Announced | 69 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 up 170% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Crafting
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Crafting, Investigation; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Exploration, Adventure
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 84% positive over 1,353 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Crafting with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + SportsFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + IdlerFair
- + SolitaireFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + WesternPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
Comparable games
Project Winter 2019 · $4.1M 
Wytchwood 2021 · $2.4M 
We. The Revolution 2019 · $1.2M 
Hard Time III 2024 · $418k 
The Horror at Highrook 2025 · $276k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Project Winter | older | $9.99 | 13,662 84% | 410k | $4.1M (exactly $4,094,501) | Other Ocean Interactive |
| | Wytchwood | older | $19.99 | 4,030 92% | 121k | $2.4M (exactly $2,416,791) | Alientrap |
| | We. The Revolution | older | $19.99 | 1,997 73% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,197,601) | Polyslash |
| | Hard Time III | older | $14.99 | 929 85% | 28k | $418k (exactly $417,771) | MDickie |
| | The Horror at Highrook | $19.99 | 461 90% | 14k | $276k (exactly $276,462) | Nullpointer Games | |
 | Logiart Grimoire | older | $19.99 | 336 94% | 10k | $201k (exactly $201,499) | Jupiter Corporation |
 | Edge of Sanity | older | $19.99 | 193 67% | 5.8k | $116k (exactly $115,742) | Vixa Games |
 | CLeM | older | $15.99 | 239 92% | 7.2k | $115k (exactly $114,648) | Mango Protocol |
 | Digger: Galactic Treasures | $4.99 | 711 87% | 21k | $106k (exactly $106,437) | RainStyle games | |
 | Parking Tycoon 2: Business Simulator | · EA | $12.99 | 76 43% | 2.3k | $30k (exactly $29,617) | Geekon |
 | Hazard Pay | $16.99 | 24 100% | 720 | $12k (exactly $12,233) | Smitner Studio | |
 | Castaway Hand | $9.99 | 22 36% | 660 | $6.6k (exactly $6,593) | BAOCHUAN | |
 | InfinityMine | · EA | $8.99 | 16 68% | 480 | $4.3k (exactly $4,315) | HayaseWorks |
 | Sea of Electronica | $4.99 | 27 74% | 810 | $4.0k (exactly $4,042) | Playbooster | |
 | Undefined Survivors -アンディファインド サバイバーズ- | · EA | $29.99 | 2 0% | 60 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Runpath Inc. |
 | Forlorn: The mysteries of Highshadowland | $9.99 | 6 66% | 180 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | The Spiteful Games | |
 | Look At Me | $4.99 | 8 62% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | Silly Tiger |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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