Games › CRPG › CRPG + Lovecraftian
Should I ship a Lovecraftian CRPG?
CRPG + Lovecraftian
Only 13 developers shipped a Lovecraftian 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, Cyclopean: The Great Abyss, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×6.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $9.9k against a market of $1.5k. 24 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $1.4k (exactly $1,435) |
|---|---|
| Median | $9.9k (exactly $9,893) |
| Top 25% | $20k (exactly $20,236) |
| Top 5% | $49k (exactly $48,851) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 13 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 24 |
| 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 30% on the market, supply 55% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 6%, 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
- Lovecraftian
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- CRPG; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Choices Matter
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 771 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.5k. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×6.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
CRPG with a different setting or mood, 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
Darkest Dungeon® II 2023 · $29M 
Fear & Hunger 2: Termina 2022 · $5.1M 
Shadows Over Loathing 2022 · $2.2M 
Death Trash 2021 · EA · $2.1M 
SKALD: Against the Black Priory 2024 · $1.5M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Darkest Dungeon® II | older | $39.99 | 24,249 74% | 727k | $29M (exactly $29,091,525) | Red Hook Studios |
| | Fear & Hunger 2: Termina | older | $11.99 | 14,232 97% | 427k | $5.1M (exactly $5,119,250) | Miro Haverinen |
| | Shadows Over Loathing | older | $22.99 | 3,120 95% | 94k | $2.2M (exactly $2,151,864) | Asymmetric |
| | Death Trash | · EA older | $19.99 | 3,460 91% | 104k | $2.1M (exactly $2,074,962) | Crafting Legends |
| | SKALD: Against the Black Priory | older | $14.99 | 3,325 93% | 100k | $1.5M (exactly $1,495,252) | High North Studios AS |
 | Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones | older | $19.99 | 1,804 66% | 54k | $1.1M (exactly $1,081,859) | Cultic Games |
 | Archaelund | · EA older | $24.99 | 417 84% | 13k | $313k (exactly $312,625) | 4 Dimension Games |
 | Chronos Builder | older | $29.99 | 57 38% | 1.7k | $51k (exactly $51,283) | Mistwall Studio |
 | Cyclopean: The Great Abyss | $9.99 | 163 89% | 4.9k | $49k (exactly $48,851) | Schmidt Workshops | |
 | Dead Static Drive | $29.99 | 43 37% | 1.3k | $39k (exactly $38,687) | Reuben Games | |
 | Whisper of Y'Ryando | $7.99 | 89 70% | 2.7k | $21k (exactly $21,333) | IndieCain, YuetXD | |
 | RAVENSBURG | $14.99 | 45 95% | 1.4k | $20k (exactly $20,236) | Lilian Duleroux | |
 | Subway Exorcist Girl | $1.99 | 306 82% | 9.2k | $18k (exactly $18,268) | 纤指游戏 | |
 | RECORD_DrowsyVortex | $9.99 | 54 100% | 1.6k | $16k (exactly $16,184) | LunarHillz | |
 | Herogue | $14.99 | 22 95% | 660 | $9.9k (exactly $9,893) | 巴豆肥工作室 | |
 | A Tale of Silent Depths | $9.99 | 21 80% | 630 | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) | Crit42 Studio | |
 | Mist | $5.99 | 12 75% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | Euphoria Games | |
 | The Broken Ceiling | $2.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $1.4k (exactly $1,435) | Iron Octopus Productions Inc. |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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