Do I ship it?

GamesInteractive FictionInteractive Fiction + Cyberpunk

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cyberpunk Interactive Fiction?

Interactive Fiction + Cyberpunk

Of 76 developers who shipped a Cyberpunk Interactive Fiction in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 149 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $63k, ×101 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 149 games are announced against 51 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 149 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Interactive Fiction + Cyberpunk
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 76
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $17k → $5.4k → $5.8k → $1.8k → $5.7k → $1.3k → $599 (still earning) → $390 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Interactive Fiction + Cyberpunk: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 76
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Top 25% $7.8k (exactly $7,794)
Top 5% $64k (exactly $63,685)
Developers, 2 yr 76
Released games 201
Announced 149
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.00

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 75% on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
Cyberpunk
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Interactive Fiction; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, RPG
Price point
$9.00 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $9.00.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 3,481 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $7.7k, 1 in 20 over $63k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 30 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 149 games are announced against 51 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Interactive Fiction with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair164 devs · median $36k · 162 announced
  2. + Match 3Fair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  3. + VampiresFair41 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  4. + SportsFair19 devs · median $1.5k · 19 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair160 devs · median $1.4k · 144 announced
  6. + PiratesFair7 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  7. + DrivingFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 13 announced
  8. + DiplomacyFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  9. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  10. + Board GameFair9 devs · median $657 · 12 announced
  11. + SnowFair10 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  12. + BuildingFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced

All 169 pairs on the Interactive Fiction page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Citizen Sleeper older $19.99 8,271 92% 248k $5.0M (exactly $4,960,119) Jump Over The Age
Nobody Wants to Die older $24.99 5,818 83% 175k $4.4M (exactly $4,361,755) Critical Hit Games
Haven older $24.99 5,294 88% 159k $4.0M (exactly $3,968,912) The Game Bakers
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector $24.99 2,358 91% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,767,793) Jump Over The Age
Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure older $15.99 2,158 91% 65k $1.0M (exactly $1,035,193) DigiTales Interactive
Neo Cab older $14.99 2,169 80% 65k $975k (exactly $975,399) Chance Agency
State of Mind older $19.99 1,548 76% 46k $928k (exactly $928,336) Daedalic Entertainment
VR Paradise - Steam Edition older $19.99 952 86% 29k $571k (exactly $570,914) Totem Entertainment
The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] older $14.99 685 87% 21k $308k (exactly $308,044) Leonard Menchiari, Daniele Vicinanzo, G… (Leonard Menchiari, Daniele Vicinanzo, Giulio Perrone)
反转21克 older $8.99 1,020 72% 31k $275k (exactly $275,094) 想象颗粒
Survivor's Notes $6.99 352 91% 11k $74k (exactly $73,814) MYSTERY CROWN, YESPLAY
Vampire Syndicate: Gangs of MoonFall · EA $19.99 111 71% 3.3k $67k (exactly $66,567) A Memory of Eternity
CyberPimp 2069 $17.99 118 87% 3.5k $64k (exactly $63,685) Entropy Digital Entertainment
Moves Of The Diamond Hand · EA $19.99 105 100% 3.2k $63k (exactly $62,968) Cosmo D Studios
Celestial Return $14.99 140 85% 4.2k $63k (exactly $62,958) Metaphor Games
Techno Banter $17.99 113 91% 3.4k $61k (exactly $60,986) Dexai Arts, Crunching Koalas
Mars Vice $24.99 70 97% 2.1k $52k (exactly $52,479) Rho Labyrinths GmbH
how to kill a fly [ H2KAF ] $9.99 71 97% 2.1k $21k (exactly $21,279) Radtel Collective
DATING OF THE FUTURE $15.99 43 90% 1.3k $21k (exactly $20,627) geoWaffle

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