Games › CRPG › CRPG + Investigation
Should I ship an Investigation CRPG?
CRPG + Investigation
Only 17 developers shipped an Investigation 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, Back to the Dawn, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 41 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $960, ×0.6 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450. 41 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper, while revenue is up 570% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $450 (exactly $450) |
|---|---|
| Median | $959 (exactly $959) |
| Top 25% | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) |
| Top 5% | $6.2M (exactly $6,157,034) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 17 |
| Released games | 49 |
| Announced | 41 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 570% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 29%, 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
- Investigation
- 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, Investigation; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, RPG, Multiple Endings
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Anime, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 93% positive over 8,815 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 41 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 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
Back to the Dawn 2025 · $6.2M 
The Thaumaturge 2024 · $4.1M 
Shadows Over Loathing 2022 · $2.2M 
Gamedec - Definitive Edition 2021 · $1.0M 
Lost Dimension 2017 · $166k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Back to the Dawn | $23.99 | 8,555 94% | 257k | $6.2M (exactly $6,157,034) | Metal Head Games | |
| | The Thaumaturge | older | $34.99 | 3,888 81% | 117k | $4.1M (exactly $4,081,234) | Fool's Theory |
| | Shadows Over Loathing | older | $22.99 | 3,120 95% | 94k | $2.2M (exactly $2,151,864) | Asymmetric |
| | Gamedec - Definitive Edition | older | $29.99 | 1,119 78% | 34k | $1.0M (exactly $1,006,764) | Anshar Studios |
| | Lost Dimension | older | $24.99 | 221 72% | 6.6k | $166k (exactly $165,684) | FURYU Corporation |
 | The Case of the Golden Night Apartment | $9.99 | 89 44% | 2.7k | $27k (exactly $26,673) | Buddy Studio | |
 | BORIS THE ROCKET 🚀 | older | $9.99 | 87 97% | 2.6k | $26k (exactly $26,074) | toR Studio |
 | Kill The Clock | · EA | $14.99 | 45 88% | 1.4k | $20k (exactly $20,236) | Happy Slugs |
 | 涨粉二维码 | older | $1.99 | 221 77% | 6.6k | $13k (exactly $13,194) | Eternal Dream |
 | Work Life Balance | $8.99 | 33 96% | 990 | $8.9k (exactly $8,900) | LandUni Studio | |
 | Mind Control: Bloody Renaissance | $9.99 | 29 100% | 870 | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) | BYYONI Entertainment | |
 | Imago Season | $9.50 | 19 89% | 570 | $5.4k (exactly $5,415) | Lunar Finch | |
 | Scapegoat & Rational | $4.99 | 24 91% | 720 | $3.6k (exactly $3,593) | 萊斯特 LesterWind | |
 | The Broken Ceiling | $2.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $1.4k (exactly $1,435) | Iron Octopus Productions Inc. | |
 | Envyus | $7.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $959 (exactly $959) | Derni Borges | |
 | ESCAPE SITE 13 | $19.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $600 (exactly $600) | Miwu Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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