Games › CRPG › CRPG + Dynamic Narration
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.
| 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.
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
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + TabletopFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + IncrementalLong shot
- + FMVPoor odds
- + Card BattlerPoor odds
- + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds
- + SpacePoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
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.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.