Do I ship it?

Games › Mystery Dungeon › Mystery Dungeon + Detective

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Detective Mystery Dungeon?

Mystery Dungeon + Detective

Of 29 developers who shipped a Detective Mystery Dungeon 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.. 21 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $390 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 13 developers shipped in the last year and 21 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 380% on the market, 21 announced, ×1.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Mystery Dungeon + Detective
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 29
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.2k → $270 → $119 → $210 → $1.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Mystery Dungeon + Detective: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 29
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $298 (exactly $298)
Top 25% $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Top 5% $9.6k (exactly $9,561)
Developers, 2 yr 29
Released games 57
Announced 21
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 380% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Mystery Dungeon
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Detective
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Mystery Dungeon; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 129 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $300, 1 in 4 over $1.7k, 1 in 20 over $9.5k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. All of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Mystery Dungeon with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + JRPGStrong odds43 devs · median $21k · 23 announced
  2. + TacticalStrong odds20 devs · median $2.5k · 15 announced
  3. + Auto BattlerFair17 devs · median $13k · 16 announced
  4. + RomanceFair12 devs · median $5.8k · 10 announced
  5. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $2.7k · 29 announced
  6. + Tactical RPGFair30 devs · median $2.4k · 24 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair34 devs · median $1.6k · 35 announced
  8. + SimulationFair57 devs · median $1.3k · 67 announced
  9. + Bullet HellFair14 devs · median $1.0k · 18 announced
  10. + Time ManagementFair11 devs · median $898 · 8 announced
  11. + HistoricalFair7 devs · median $719 · 10 announced
  12. + PhysicsFair22 devs · median $539 · 20 announced

All 116 pairs on the Mystery Dungeon page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Death Below 2022 · $19k EXIT - The Curse of Ophir 2022 · $19k EXIT The Game – Trial of the Griffin 2023 · $17k The Strange Story Of Brian Fisher: Chapter 2 2024 · $15k Pencil Stories 2026 · $9.6k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Death Below older $9.99 63 58% 1.9k $19k (exactly $18,881) Soft
EXIT - The Curse of Ophir older $7.99 78 84% 2.3k $19k (exactly $18,697) Nementic Games
EXIT The Game – Trial of the Griffin older $7.99 71 84% 2.1k $17k (exactly $17,019) Nementic Games
The Strange Story Of Brian Fisher: Chapter 2 $14.99 34 94% 1.0k $15k (exactly $15,290) Intetic
Pencil Stories $10.99 29 100% 870 $9.6k (exactly $9,561) Phantom Island
IMAGO: Beyond the Nightmares older $9.99 30 80% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) Light Off Studio, BR-Digital
Traumada older $3.99 50 92% 1.5k $6.0k (exactly $5,985) James Horn
La Llorona Wants Your Soul $9.99 18 50% 540 $5.4k (exactly $5,395) Focka Games
TIERRA - Mystery Point & Click Adventure older $6.99 16 62% 480 $3.4k (exactly $3,355) M9 Games
Baker Street Breakouts: A Sherlockian Escape Adventure older $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) HiSv Studio
Ghost Restaurant $6.99 12 100% 360 $2.5k (exactly $2,516) Akrelia Studio
Rod of Asclepius $19.99 3 100% 90 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) Worcco Arts
Oldest Golden Treasure $14.99 4 75% 120 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) Vasil4N
Forlorn: The mysteries of Highshadowland $9.99 6 66% 180 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) The Spiteful Games
Victim 10 PM $3.99 15 73% 450 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Manas Games
N/A Museum $9.00 4 50% 120 $1.1k (exactly $1,080) TheObserverStudio
ARALSK 7 $5.99 4 75% 120 $719 (exactly $719) MIR GAMES, MIR GAMES

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