Do I ship it?

GamesImmersive SimImmersive Sim + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Immersive Sim?

Immersive Sim + Dynamic Narration

Of 42 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration Immersive Sim 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.. 75 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×1.6 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×106 the market median. Revenue is up 1165% on the market; 75 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 1165% on the market, 75 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Immersive Sim + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 42
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $152k → $39k → $899 → $148 → $899 → $154k → $5.7k (still earning) → $5.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Immersive Sim + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 42
Bottom 30% $899 (exactly $899)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,399)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,204)
Top 5% $159k (exactly $158,841)
Developers, 2 yr 42
Released games 98
Announced 75
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 1165% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Immersive Sim
effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
Dynamic Narration
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Immersive Sim, Dynamic Narration; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Choices Matter, Interactive Fiction
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 8,324 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $7.2k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. All of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 75 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Immersive Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds112 devs · median $63k · 58 announced
  2. + Trading Card GameStrong odds18 devs · median $30k · 13 announced
  3. + MinigamesStrong odds15 devs · median $24k · 11 announced
  4. + WesternStrong odds17 devs · median $4.4k · 14 announced
  5. + BoxingStrong odds16 devs · median $2.7k · 12 announced
  6. + Job SimulatorFair152 devs · median $20k · 180 announced
  7. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $17k · 10 announced
  8. + Dating SimFair295 devs · median $13k · 296 announced
  9. + RomanceFair254 devs · median $12k · 266 announced
  10. + LGBTQ+Fair87 devs · median $11k · 93 announced
  11. + Visual NovelFair399 devs · median $7.8k · 453 announced
  12. + Split ScreenFair12 devs · median $6.0k · 14 announced

All 219 pairs on the Immersive Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mandate Of Heaven $14.99 5,446 91% 163k $2.4M (exactly $2,449,066) 木焱工作室
Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter older $29.99 852 73% 26k $767k (exactly $766,544) Iron Wolf Studio S.A.
Ludus Magnatus: Gladiator Manager Simulator · EA $24.99 612 81% 18k $459k (exactly $458,816) Contec Games
Finnish Army Simulator · EA older $29.99 500 88% 15k $450k (exactly $449,850) Please Be Patient
The Pioneers: Surviving Desolation · EA older $29.99 397 63% 12k $357k (exactly $357,181) Supercube
Summer's Gone - Season 1 older $14.99 702 93% 21k $316k (exactly $315,689) OceanAVN
AWAY: The Survival Series older $19.99 318 55% 9.5k $191k (exactly $190,705) Breaking Walls
Heaven Does Not Respond $9.99 530 90% 16k $159k (exactly $158,841) Rise Studios
Hymer 2000 $4.99 1,031 89% 31k $154k (exactly $154,341) doBell
Salty Hounds · EA older $19.99 253 73% 7.6k $152k (exactly $151,724) Topping Palette
The Floor Above $12.99 217 88% 6.5k $85k (exactly $84,565) Swytapp Games
Massage With Benefits $9.99 175 84% 5.3k $52k (exactly $52,448) pasunna
Femdom Wife Game - Emily · EA $19.99 78 84% 2.3k $47k (exactly $46,777) Femdom Wife Game
Bow Down & Eyes Up $19.99 65 66% 2.0k $39k (exactly $38,980) Yamada Mikio
Hank: Drowning On Dry Land $2.99 140 95% 4.2k $13k (exactly $12,558) My Next Games
AI Society $9.99 30 63% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) b8ve

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