Do I ship it?

GamesSurvival HorrorSurvival Horror + Demons

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Demon Survival Horror?

Survival Horror + Demons

Of 236 developers who shipped a Demon Survival Horror 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.. 290 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.1 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×459 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 290 games are announced against 121 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 15% on the market, 290 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Survival Horror + Demons
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 236
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.6k → $1.3k → $3.4k → $2.1k → $1.2k → $955 → $2.1k (still earning) → $479 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Survival Horror + Demons: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 236
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Top 25% $6.6k (exactly $6,593)
Top 5% $288k (exactly $288,012)
Developers, 2 yr 236
Released games 589
Announced 290
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 down 15% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

Survival Horror
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Demons
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Survival Horror; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Action-Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, First-Person, Dark
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 39,094 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $6.5k, 1 in 20 over $280k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 144 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 290 games are announced against 121 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Survival Horror with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair13 devs · median $31k · 14 announced
  2. + DrivingFair20 devs · median $4.9k · 25 announced
  3. + Tower DefenseFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 16 announced
  4. + IncrementalFair16 devs · median $1.6k · 19 announced
  5. + SnowFair17 devs · median $1.2k · 15 announced
  6. + SportsFair5 devs · median $959 · 3 announced
  7. + Outbreak SimFair22 devs · median $958 · 24 announced
  8. + 3D PlatformerFair111 devs · median $539 · 104 announced
  9. + Boomer ShooterFair27 devs · median $449 · 28 announced
  10. + Turn-Based CombatPoor odds10 devs · median $64k · 42 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds17 devs · median $52k · 21 announced
  12. + Spectacle fighterPoor odds8 devs · median $52k · 12 announced

All 159 pairs on the Survival Horror page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Demonologist older $19.99 18,886 85% 567k $11M (exactly $11,325,934) Clock Wizard Games
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes older $29.99 7,360 89% 221k $6.6M (exactly $6,621,792) Supermassive Games
Ghost Watchers $14.99 12,729 86% 382k $5.7M (exactly $5,724,231) Renderise
Pacify older $4.99 32,921 86% 988k $4.9M (exactly $4,928,274) Shawn Hitchcock
Blood West older $24.99 6,132 90% 184k $4.6M (exactly $4,597,160) Hyperstrange
Look Outside $9.99 13,586 98% 408k $4.1M (exactly $4,071,724) Francis Coulombe
SUCCUBUS older $24.99 5,049 76% 151k $3.8M (exactly $3,785,235) Madmind Studio
MADiSON older $34.99 3,007 87% 90k $3.2M (exactly $3,156,448) BLOODIOUS GAMES
DOOM 3 older $9.99 9,133 85% 274k $2.7M (exactly $2,737,160) id Software
Onimusha: Warlords older $19.99 2,843 93% 85k $1.7M (exactly $1,704,947) CAPCOM CO., LTD
Silly Polly Beast $19.99 2,278 90% 68k $1.4M (exactly $1,366,117) Anji
Labyrinth Of The Demon King $19.99 2,116 92% 63k $1.3M (exactly $1,268,965) J. R. Hudepohl
Forbidden Solitaire $15.99 2,245 96% 67k $1.1M (exactly $1,076,926) Grey Alien Games, Night Signal Entertai… (Grey Alien Games, Night Signal Entertainment)
A.I.L.A $29.99 889 81% 27k $800k (exactly $799,833) Pulsatrix Studios
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny $29.99 663 85% 20k $597k (exactly $596,501) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
DON'T SCREAM TOGETHER $7.99 2,314 49% 69k $555k (exactly $554,666) Digital Cybercherries
Butcher's Creek $9.99 1,539 94% 46k $461k (exactly $461,238) David Szymanski
Priest Simulator: Vampire Show $19.99 735 94% 22k $441k (exactly $440,779) Asmodev

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