Do I ship it?

GamesCRPGCRPG + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration CRPG?

CRPG + Dynamic Narration

Only 15 developers shipped a Dynamic Narration CRPG 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, Drova - Forsaken Kin, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 28 more are announced, ×3.5 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 $360; 1 in 20 cleared $7.0M, ×4732 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 28 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 28 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $62k → $5.2k → $4.1k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Top 25% $39k (exactly $38,980)
Top 5% $7.1M (exactly $7,088,414)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 27
Announced 28
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

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 70% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, 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.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Dynamic Narration
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Dynamic Narration; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Choices Matter, Exploration
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 15,130 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $38k, 1 in 20 over $7.0M.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 28 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + 2D PlatformerFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  6. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  7. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  8. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  9. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  10. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  12. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Drova - Forsaken Kin $24.99 9,455 93% 284k $7.1M (exactly $7,088,414) Just2D
Mandate Of Heaven $14.99 5,446 91% 163k $2.4M (exactly $2,449,066) 木焱工作室
Immortal Heritage · EA older $39.99 89 84% 2.7k $107k (exactly $106,773) LC.Game
秦殇 (Prince of Qin) older $0.99 2,489 78% 75k $74k (exactly $73,923) 北京目标在线科技有限公司
Dustgrave: A Sandbox RPG · EA $21.99 94 71% 2.8k $62k (exactly $62,012) Innervoid Interactive
Bow Down & Eyes Up $19.99 65 66% 2.0k $39k (exactly $38,980) Yamada Mikio
Fulfill Wishes and Save You $4.99 35 74% 1.1k $5.2k (exactly $5,240) HALO CAT
RolemIAster · EA $5.99 23 56% 690 $4.1k (exactly $4,133) ABAFE
回忆画册~MemoriesAlbum~ older $4.99 15 40% 450 $2.2k (exactly $2,246) RubyHaruSoftware
New Year Simulator 2025 · EA $17.99 4 50% 120 $2.2k (exactly $2,159) HappyJack, PureDeli
Null State $9.99 4 100% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) Triple Eye Games
Armed Animals RPG $15.99 2 100% 60 $959 (exactly $959) Strejda Jenda Productions
Intermundia: Dungeons, Polygons & Magic · EA $5.99 2 50% 60 $359 (exactly $359) Trinity Team, Excaliber

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