Games › Investigation › Investigation + Dark Fantasy
Should I ship a Dark-Fantasy Investigation game?
Investigation + Dark Fantasy
Of 59 developers who shipped a Dark-Fantasy Investigation game 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.. 145 more are announced, ×5.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×1.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×469 the market median. Revenue is up 135% on the market; 145 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) |
| Top 25% | $12k (exactly $12,233) |
| Top 5% | $295k (exactly $294,554) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 59 |
| Released games | 195 |
| Announced | 145 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 135% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Dark Fantasy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Investigation; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Dark, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 5,722 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 35 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 145 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Investigation with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Escape RoomFair
- + IdlerFair
- + TriviaLong shot
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
- + RomancePoor odds
- + GothicPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Card GamePoor odds
- + SciencePoor odds
Comparable games
The Thaumaturge 2024 · $4.1M 
Wytchwood 2021 · $2.4M 
1666: Amsterdam 2026 · EA · $705k 
Is this Game Trying to Kill Me? 2024 · $680k 
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest 2020 · $362k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Thaumaturge | older | $34.99 | 3,888 81% | 117k | $4.1M (exactly $4,081,234) | Fool's Theory |
| | Wytchwood | older | $19.99 | 4,030 92% | 121k | $2.4M (exactly $2,416,791) | Alientrap |
| | 1666: Amsterdam | · EA | $29.99 | 784 63% | 24k | $705k (exactly $705,365) | Panache Digital Games |
| | Is this Game Trying to Kill Me? | $14.99 | 1,513 95% | 45k | $680k (exactly $680,396) | Stately Snail | |
| | Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest | older | $14.99 | 805 83% | 24k | $362k (exactly $362,008) | Different Tales |
 | The Inquisitor | older | $39.99 | 277 66% | 8.3k | $332k (exactly $332,317) | The Dust S.A. |
 | The Dark Rites of Arkham | $14.99 | 655 97% | 20k | $295k (exactly $294,554) | Postmodern Adventures | |
 | The Horror at Highrook | $19.99 | 461 90% | 14k | $276k (exactly $276,462) | Nullpointer Games | |
 | DAEMON MASQUERADE | $14.99 | 514 95% | 15k | $231k (exactly $231,146) | Callum Page | |
 | Devil Girl | older | $9.99 | 668 85% | 20k | $200k (exactly $200,200) | BananaKing, 台灣香蕉王 |
 | Unpossess: Exorcism Simulator | $14.99 | 373 70% | 11k | $168k (exactly $167,738) | Chreseeba Games | |
 | Cursed Digicam | 呪われたデジカメ | $7.99 | 611 78% | 18k | $146k (exactly $146,457) | Chilla's Art | |
 | Demonheart: The Cursed Trial | $24.99 | 115 90% | 3.5k | $86k (exactly $86,216) | Rolling Crown | |
 | Shadows of the Afterland | $14.99 | 135 95% | 4.1k | $61k (exactly $60,710) | Aruma Studios | |
 | Daemonologie | $2.99 | 561 92% | 17k | $50k (exactly $50,322) | Katanalevy |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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