Do I ship it?

GamesQuick-Time EventsQuick-Time Events + Dark Fantasy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dark-Fantasy Quick-Time Events game?

Quick-Time Events + Dark Fantasy

Only 14 developers shipped a Dark-Fantasy Quick-Time Events game 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, The Use of Life, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 37 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×5.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $450k, ×730 the market median. Revenue is up 125% on the market; 37 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 125% on the market, 37 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Quick-Time Events + Dark Fantasy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $148 → $6.3k → $4.9k → $12k (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Quick-Time Events + Dark Fantasy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $3.6k (exactly $3,596)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $12,171)
Top 5% $458k (exactly $458,171)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 37
Announced 37
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 125% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Quick-Time Events
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Dark Fantasy
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
Quick-Time Events; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Multiple Endings
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Hand-drawn, Nonlinear
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 1,132 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 $3.6k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $450k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 37 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Quick-Time Events with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimFair17 devs · median $15k · 16 announced
  2. + Shoot 'Em UpFair8 devs · median $1.2k · 12 announced
  3. + Life SimFair28 devs · median $958 · 33 announced
  4. + SimulationFair116 devs · median $748 · 133 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $720 · 18 announced
  6. + Resource ManagementFair46 devs · median $719 · 55 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $657 · 9 announced
  8. + AliensFair12 devs · median $628 · 14 announced
  9. + SpaceFair16 devs · median $597 · 24 announced
  10. + Bullet TimeLong shot10 devs · median $390 · 15 announced
  11. + DemonsLong shot17 devs · median $300 · 22 announced
  12. + Bullet HellLong shot27 devs · median $239 · 25 announced

All 110 pairs on the Quick-Time Events page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ultimate Edition older $29.99 7,998 80% 240k $7.2M (exactly $7,195,801) MercurySteam, Climax Studios
The Use of Life $19.99 764 90% 23k $458k (exactly $458,171) だらねこげーむず/Daraneko Games
Monster Girl Conquest Records Battle Orc older $10.99 94 93% 2.8k $31k (exactly $30,992) mozu field
99 Spirits older $9.99 94 73% 2.8k $28k (exactly $28,172) TORaIKI
Legends of Savvarah: Children of the Sun $7.99 75 92% 2.3k $18k (exactly $17,978) ST Sinovar
Legends of Savvarah: Flowers and Scorpions $5.99 94 95% 2.8k $17k (exactly $16,892) ST Sinovar
Tsukumogami older $29.99 16 87% 480 $14k (exactly $14,395) TORaIKI
The Shaman's Ark $9.99 47 97% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) Amortiz Games
Type or Die $13.99 29 31% 870 $12k (exactly $12,171) Type or Die
Divine Adventure RPG older $14.99 17 76% 510 $7.6k (exactly $7,645) Masquerade Games
Sin Slayers: Meat & Greed $2.99 55 52% 1.7k $4.9k (exactly $4,934) Goonswarm Games
Daughter of The Void · EA $9.99 15 100% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Shaybabe
The Last Progenitor - Chapter 1 $7.99 15 53% 450 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) SeCe Studio
RiftGuard $0.99 36 91% 1.1k $1.1k (exactly $1,069) Artur Rezende
Flatlands $9.99 2 50% 60 $599 (exactly $599) LayDown Games

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