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Should I ship an Interactive Fiction Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Interactive Fiction
Only 13 developers shipped an Interactive Fiction Deckbuilding 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, Morningstar: Book of the Fallen, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 31 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×3.2 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $30k, ×63 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 31 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) |
| Top 25% | $2.4k (exactly $2,427) |
| Top 5% | $30k (exactly $30,130) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 13 |
| Released games | 26 |
| Announced | 31 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 down 90% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 23%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Deckbuilding
- effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
- Interactive Fiction
- effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Deckbuilding, Interactive Fiction; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Choose Your Own Adventure, Adventure
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $34.95 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Anime
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $34.95 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 155 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. All of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + LogicFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist 2022 · $3.3M 
Signs of the Sojourner 2020 · $109k 
Morningstar: Book of the Fallen 2024 · $30k 
Willow Guard 2025 · $19k 
Dating Joyce: a Deckbuilding Game 2024 · $15k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | I Was a Teenage Exocolonist | older | $24.99 | 4,443 96% | 133k | $3.3M (exactly $3,330,917) | Northway Games |
| | Signs of the Sojourner | older | $19.99 | 181 88% | 5.4k | $109k (exactly $108,546) | Echodog Games |
| | Morningstar: Book of the Fallen | $14.99 | 67 94% | 2.0k | $30k (exactly $30,130) | Droid Productions | |
| | Willow Guard | $15.99 | 39 89% | 1.2k | $19k (exactly $18,708) | MiTale | |
| | Dating Joyce: a Deckbuilding Game | older | $10.99 | 44 97% | 1.3k | $15k (exactly $14,507) | Omshinwa18 |
 | Yamizome Liberator | $34.95 | 9 66% | 270 | $9.4k (exactly $9,436) | Escu:de | |
 | Taoism | · EA older | $5.99 | 21 61% | 630 | $3.8k (exactly $3,774) | 提拉米狐工作室 |
 | Card Cowboy | older | $2.99 | 39 94% | 1.2k | $3.5k (exactly $3,498) | Luckshot Shorts, Brieyh'leai, Chris, Ka… (Luckshot Shorts, Brieyh'leai, Chris, Karley, Max, Nic, Tom) |
 | 末世信使 | · EA | $8.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $2.4k (exactly $2,427) | Qingyuan PixelBox Network Co., Ltd. |
 | Winter Heat | $19.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Yuri Kissaten | |
 | You Die Today | $7.99 | 7 71% | 210 | $1.7k (exactly $1,678) | Tabletale Games | |
 | Cauldron Caution | $9.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | Poisheesh | |
 | Red Thread | $9.99 | 3 33% | 90 | $899 (exactly $899) | Alchemist Bunny Boutique | |
 | Ming Dynasty: Cards & Court | $1.99 | 11 36% | 330 | $657 (exactly $657) | YCX GameStudio | |
 | Chinese Newcomer | $5.00 | 2 100% | 60 | $300 (exactly $300) | 薪火工作室 (Xinhuo Studio) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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