Do I ship it?

GamesCRPGCRPG + Survival Horror

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Survival Horror CRPG?

CRPG + Survival Horror

Only 12 developers shipped a Survival Horror 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, Tower of Mask, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 19 more are announced, ×4.8 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 $720 against a market of $1.5k. 19 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 19 announced, ×4.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Survival Horror
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.2k → $2.1k → $748 → $8.7k
Outcomes for CRPG + Survival Horror: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $450 (exactly $450)
Median $719 (exactly $719)
Top 25% $8.7k (exactly $8,691)
Top 5% $118k (exactly $117,703)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 34
Announced 19
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $7.99

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 15% on the market, supply 50% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 3%, 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
Survival Horror
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Survival Horror
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 88% positive over 458 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $720, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $110k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 19 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.8 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
Pathologic 2 older $34.99 9,554 92% 287k $10M (exactly $10,028,834) Ice-Pick Lodge
Fear & Hunger 2: Termina older $11.99 14,232 97% 427k $5.1M (exactly $5,119,250) Miro Haverinen
Lakeview Valley older $14.99 710 82% 21k $319k (exactly $319,287) Roope Tamminen
Tower of Mask $10.99 357 95% 11k $118k (exactly $117,703) Papertip Studio
Waste Walkers older $8.99 150 80% 4.5k $40k (exactly $40,455) Corrosive Studios LLC
Dead Static Drive $29.99 43 37% 1.3k $39k (exactly $38,687) Reuben Games
Sorry We're Open older $7.99 140 95% 4.2k $34k (exactly $33,558) oates
No Delivery older $5.00 68 97% 2.0k $10k (exactly $10,200) oates
Mind Control: Bloody Renaissance $9.99 29 100% 870 $8.7k (exactly $8,691) BYYONI Entertainment
Case 02: Paranormal Evil older $5.99 37 94% 1.1k $6.6k (exactly $6,649) Sounding Stone / 老奉毊, MaouCat Studio /… (Sounding Stone / 老奉毊, MaouCat Studio / 魔王貓工作室)
Mist $5.99 12 75% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) Euphoria Games
Void Foundation: Into The Void $4.99 5 80% 150 $748 (exactly $748) #30A6D-S (Kuma)
KEEP MOVING $7.99 3 33% 90 $719 (exactly $719) VArtStyleGames
Crimson Moon $2.99 6 83% 180 $538 (exactly $538) Spear Soft
SCP Foundation: Universe Horror · EA $7.99 2 50% 60 $479 (exactly $479) Great Ave Games
Uncanny Valley: Le Petit Morte $14.99 1 100% 30 $450 (exactly $450) Chris King
Through The Veil $4.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) v.a.c.u.u.m.

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