Do I ship it?

Games › CRPG › CRPG + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller CRPG?

CRPG + Thriller

Only 16 developers shipped a Thriller 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, ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 23 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180. 23 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper, while revenue is up 475% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 475% on the market, 23 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.2k → $538 → $20k → $1.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $18,268)
Top 5% $3.5M (exactly $3,492,327)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 36
Announced 23
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 475% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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
Thriller
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; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Puzzle
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 4,000 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $18k, 1 in 20 over $3.4M.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 23 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different setting or mood, 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

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies 2026 · $3.5M 消失的航班，还有她她她！Lost in the secret! 2025 · $361k Lakeview Valley 2019 · $319k 筮灵 SHILING 2024 · $54k 4.1.60Co 2024 · $24k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies $39.99 2,911 83% 87k $3.5M (exactly $3,492,327) ZA/UM
消失的航班，还有她她她！Lost in the secret! $19.99 602 89% 18k $361k (exactly $361,019) Humongous Pictures
Lakeview Valley older $14.99 710 82% 21k $319k (exactly $319,287) Roope Tamminen
筮灵 SHILING older $7.99 227 71% 6.8k $54k (exactly $54,412) WindField Games
4.1.60Co older $4.99 162 85% 4.9k $24k (exactly $24,251) DEADDEVICE
虫鸣 older $5.99 115 63% 3.5k $21k (exactly $20,666) 深圳市创源互娱科技有限公司
Kill The Clock · EA $14.99 45 88% 1.4k $20k (exactly $20,236) Happy Slugs
Subway Exorcist Girl $1.99 306 82% 9.2k $18k (exactly $18,268) 纤指游戏
禁地直播 $4.99 109 88% 3.3k $16k (exactly $16,317) Say Hi Hi
Beauty Escort older $14.99 25 72% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) Erogenous Moonlight
Chilling Silence $3.99 16 56% 480 $1.9k (exactly $1,915) podushki
ESCAPE SITE 13 $19.99 1 100% 30 $600 (exactly $600) Miwu Studio
Odessa $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Aldorlea Games
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

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