Do I ship it?

Games › Dynamic Narration › Dynamic Narration + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Hidden Object?

Dynamic Narration + Hidden Object

Of 23 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration Hidden Object 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.. 41 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.6k, ×5.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $41k, ×87 the market median. Revenue is up 410% on the market; 41 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 410% on the market, 41 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Dynamic Narration + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 23
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.2k → $1.5k → $5.5k → $1.9k → $28k → $5.4k (still earning) → $14k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Dynamic Narration + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 23
Bottom 30% $718 (exactly $718)
Median $2.6k (exactly $2,638)
Top 25% $14k (exactly $14,469)
Top 5% $41k (exactly $41,228)
Developers, 2 yr 23
Released games 72
Announced 41
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 410% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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.

Dynamic Narration
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Dynamic Narration, Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Multiple Endings
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, First-Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,763 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $2.6k, 1 in 4 over $14k, 1 in 20 over $41k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 41 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Dynamic Narration with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SportsStrong odds17 devs · median $4.2k · 9 announced
  2. + IncrementalFair19 devs · median $4.0k · 14 announced
  3. + IdlerFair16 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  4. + ModernFair15 devs · median $1.0k · 18 announced
  5. + TacticalFair13 devs · median $899 · 16 announced
  6. + LGBTQ+Poor odds12 devs · median $8.2k · 22 announced
  7. + RoguelikePoor odds11 devs · median $7.8k · 35 announced
  8. + RoguelitePoor odds10 devs · median $7.8k · 42 announced
  9. + Word GamePoor odds10 devs · median $5.2k · 17 announced
  10. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $4.4k · 40 announced
  11. + RomancePoor odds31 devs · median $4.2k · 50 announced
  12. + ManagementPoor odds21 devs · median $3.6k · 56 announced

All 84 pairs on the Dynamic Narration page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

GlitchSPANKR 2025 · $165k Red Comrades Save the Galaxy: Reloaded 2016 · $102k Please, Forgive Me 2023 · $55k AR-K 2014 · $48k Rehaunted 2026 · $41k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
GlitchSPANKR $19.99 275 96% 8.3k $165k (exactly $164,918) Mahelyk, TheClassifiedX
Red Comrades Save the Galaxy: Reloaded older $3.99 851 92% 26k $102k (exactly $101,865) Buka Development
Please, Forgive Me older $6.99 264 65% 7.9k $55k (exactly $55,361) REVVALUTION Studio
AR-K older $7.99 201 55% 6.0k $48k (exactly $48,180) GATO STUDIO
Rehaunted $7.99 172 66% 5.2k $41k (exactly $41,228) Cauchemar
Inua - A Story in Ice and Time older $14.99 81 93% 2.4k $36k (exactly $36,426) The Pixel Hunt, IKO, ARTE France
Hazing - Night Shift older $5.99 197 68% 5.9k $35k (exactly $35,401) REVVALUTION Studio
Omen Exitio: Hunger $9.99 117 88% 3.5k $35k (exactly $35,065) Tiny Bull Studios
Last Lesson older $6.99 155 65% 4.7k $33k (exactly $32,504) REVVALUTION Studio
5 NIGHTS AT SHALUN 4: SCHOOL $1.99 535 93% 16k $32k (exactly $31,940) Team GZ, VADIM CHURILOV
Evil Holiday $4.99 208 80% 6.2k $31k (exactly $31,138) REVVALUTION Studio
You’ve Got a Package $4.99 188 77% 5.6k $28k (exactly $28,144) REVVALUTION Studio
Ministry of Truth: False Memory $6.99 69 85% 2.1k $14k (exactly $14,469) IKKOSAMA, False Memory Dept.
BABULYA $3.99 106 85% 3.2k $13k (exactly $12,688) REVVALUTION Studio
Project Looking Glass $4.99 47 100% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) MORPH
Ten Tek Desire $4.99 46 80% 1.4k $6.9k (exactly $6,886) Inspite , W-I-W

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