Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Detective
Should I ship a Detective Strategy RPG?
Strategy RPG + Detective
Of 23 developers who shipped a Detective Strategy RPG 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.. 50 more are announced, ×7.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60; 1 in 20 cleared $530k, ×859 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 50 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $60 (exactly $60) |
|---|---|
| Median | $599 (exactly $599) |
| Top 25% | $14k (exactly $14,024) |
| Top 5% | $539k (exactly $539,460) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 23 |
| Released games | 54 |
| Announced | 50 |
| 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 down 50% on the market, supply 55% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Strategy RPG
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Detective
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy RPG; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Multiple Endings, RPG, Strategy
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 11,189 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $60. 8 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy RPG with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SportsFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Bullet HellFair
- + EconomyFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + ConspiracyFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
Comparable games
Back to the Dawn 2025 · $6.2M 
Breakout 13 2023 · $2.1M 
Sinister Night 2 2025 · $539k 
Paper Bride 5 Two Lifetimes 2023 · $182k 
晨昏线 2025 · $128k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Back to the Dawn | $23.99 | 8,555 94% | 257k | $6.2M (exactly $6,157,034) | Metal Head Games | |
| | Breakout 13 | older | $9.99 | 6,899 87% | 207k | $2.1M (exactly $2,067,630) | ALT Lab |
| | Sinister Night 2 | $9.99 | 1,800 86% | 54k | $539k (exactly $539,460) | Bug Inventors | |
| | Paper Bride 5 Two Lifetimes | older | $9.99 | 606 84% | 18k | $182k (exactly $181,618) | HeartBeat Plus |
| | 晨昏线 | $9.99 | 427 76% | 13k | $128k (exactly $127,972) | Enter Games | |
 | Slaughter Horse 2 | · EA older | $5.99 | 395 96% | 12k | $71k (exactly $70,982) | Catfood McFly |
 | Pixel Noir | older | $24.99 | 70 72% | 2.1k | $52k (exactly $52,479) | SWDTech Games |
 | The Magister | older | $14.99 | 103 91% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $46,319) | Nerdook Productions |
 | Spy Alliance | older | $1.99 | 645 74% | 19k | $39k (exactly $38,506) | ALT Lab |
 | My proud girlfriend--Lina Chapter | $5.99 | 210 91% | 6.3k | $38k (exactly $37,737) | zzzgame | |
 | AnnaRedux | $19.99 | 29 79% | 870 | $17k (exactly $17,391) | 那什么游戏制作日记 | |
 | 烧尾宴 | $8.99 | 52 75% | 1.6k | $14k (exactly $14,024) | 有点正经 | |
 | Winter Clothing | $9.99 | 41 75% | 1.2k | $12k (exactly $12,288) | 坤舆科技 | |
 | Prison Notes | $9.99 | 38 94% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,389) | 闻岚工坊（Vinland Studio） | |
 | Augmented Empire | $7.99 | 25 88% | 750 | $6.0k (exactly $5,992) | Coatsink | |
 | Catolonizer | · EA | $5.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | Alin Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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