Do I ship it?

GamesInteractive FictionInteractive Fiction + Dogs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dog Interactive Fiction?

Interactive Fiction + Dogs

Only 11 developers shipped a Dog Interactive Fiction 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, HOPELESS JUNCTION: cuppy dog barf girl and co., made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×2.2 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $46k, ×98 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 21 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 21 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Interactive Fiction + Dogs
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 11
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $25k → $3.0k → $719 → $9.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Interactive Fiction + Dogs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 11
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $17,682)
Top 5% $47k (exactly $46,761)
Developers, 2 yr 11
Released games 53
Announced 21
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 350% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
Dogs
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
Interactive Fiction
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 96% positive over 387 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 $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $46k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 21 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Interactive Fiction with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair164 devs · median $36k · 162 announced
  2. + Match 3Fair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  3. + VampiresFair41 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  4. + SportsFair19 devs · median $1.5k · 19 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair160 devs · median $1.4k · 144 announced
  6. + PiratesFair7 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  7. + DrivingFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 13 announced
  8. + DiplomacyFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  9. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  10. + Board GameFair9 devs · median $657 · 12 announced
  11. + SnowFair10 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  12. + BuildingFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced

All 169 pairs on the Interactive Fiction page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Red Lantern older $24.99 934 83% 28k $700k (exactly $700,220) Timberline Studio
The Heroes Around Me older $6.99 691 95% 21k $145k (exactly $144,903) OKJOY
Purrfect Apawcalypse: Love at Furst Bite older $4.99 826 98% 25k $124k (exactly $123,652) Denny Truong, Andy Schneider
Speed Dating for Ghosts older $6.99 508 95% 15k $107k (exactly $106,528) Copychaser Games
Purrfect Apawcalypse: Patches' Infurno older $6.99 440 99% 13k $92k (exactly $92,268) Denny Truong, Andy Schneider
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey older $18.99 140 78% 4.2k $80k (exactly $79,758) Salix Games Ltd, Tea Clipper Games Ltd
Purrfect Apawcalypse: Purrgatory Furever older $5.99 370 99% 11k $66k (exactly $66,489) Denny Truong, Andy Schneider
HOPELESS JUNCTION: cuppy dog barf girl and co. $11.99 130 97% 3.9k $47k (exactly $46,761) Nadia Nova
Hello Goodboy older $14.99 95 86% 2.9k $43k (exactly $42,722) Rolling Glory Jam
Tell Me Your Story older $9.99 84 65% 2.5k $25k (exactly $25,175) RedDeer.Games
Anxiety Puppy $4.99 154 95% 4.6k $23k (exactly $23,054) 小狗工作室
Bangkok Story: A Stray Dog $9.99 59 100% 1.8k $18k (exactly $17,682) Shameful Guys Development
Finch & Archie · EA $11.99 26 92% 780 $9.4k (exactly $9,352) Octarine Arts
Sammy Jukes: Twin Lakes $19.99 5 100% 150 $3.0k (exactly $2,998) Wamill
Chick'n Mushroom Soup $4.99 7 100% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Team Sermath
Autumn with the Shiba Inu $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Quill Game Studios
Harry and the Haunted House $9.99 1 100% 30 $300 (exactly $300) Brøderbund, Jordan Freeman Group, Livin… (Brøderbund, Jordan Freeman Group, Living Books, Wanderful Interactive Storybooks)
Ruff's Bone $9.99 1 100% 30 $300 (exactly $300) Brøderbund, Jordan Freeman Group, Livin… (Brøderbund, Jordan Freeman Group, Living Books, Wanderful Interactive Storybooks)
Laurel's Day $0.99 1 0% 30 $30 (exactly $30) David Listzwan

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