Do I ship it?

GamesManagementManagement + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Management game?

Management + Dynamic Narration

Of 21 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration Management game 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.. 56 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×5.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $440k, ×710 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 56 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 56 announced, ×4.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Management + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $46k → $72k → $9.5k → $3.6k → $3.6k (still earning) → $5.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Management + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $899 (exactly $899)
Median $3.6k (exactly $3,598)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $13,193)
Top 5% $446k (exactly $446,102)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 44
Announced 56
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 down 50% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium 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
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Management, Dynamic Narration; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Choices Matter, Simulation, Strategy
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 2D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 2,090 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 $3.6k, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $440k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 7 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 56 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomeFair21 devs · median $64k · 23 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair195 devs · median $17k · 225 announced
  3. + WesternFair18 devs · median $13k · 22 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair114 devs · median $12k · 154 announced
  5. + JRPGFair37 devs · median $9.4k · 35 announced
  6. + MinigamesFair22 devs · median $7.4k · 15 announced
  7. + RhythmFair19 devs · median $5.9k · 24 announced
  8. + UnderwaterFair37 devs · median $5.0k · 54 announced
  9. + CollectathonFair182 devs · median $3.5k · 230 announced
  10. + DwarvesFair13 devs · median $3.2k · 18 announced
  11. + 3D FighterFair11 devs · median $3.1k · 15 announced
  12. + IncrementalFair611 devs · median $1.9k · 893 announced

All 214 pairs on the Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience older $19.99 2,596 91% 78k $1.6M (exactly $1,556,821) Delve Interactive
All Quiet in the Trenches · EA older $24.99 921 90% 28k $690k (exactly $690,474) Totally Not Aliens
Ludus Magnatus: Gladiator Manager Simulator · EA $24.99 612 81% 18k $459k (exactly $458,816) Contec Games
Corruption Town · EA $14.99 992 88% 30k $446k (exactly $446,102) BoredBasmati
The Pioneers: Surviving Desolation · EA older $29.99 397 63% 12k $357k (exactly $357,181) Supercube
Writer's Rush older $5.99 402 74% 12k $72k (exactly $72,239) Frogstorm
Massage With Benefits $9.99 175 84% 5.3k $52k (exactly $52,448) pasunna
The King's Dilemma: Chronicles older $14.99 102 70% 3.1k $46k (exactly $45,869) Big Trouble
Agarta older $2.99 498 71% 15k $45k (exactly $44,671) FF Digital
Amigo: Kebab Simulator older $10.99 127 62% 3.8k $42k (exactly $41,872) Pigeon-G
Medieval Legacy $19.99 66 86% 2.0k $40k (exactly $39,580) Ninetoplay
Endless Dark $7.99 115 99% 3.5k $28k (exactly $27,566) Little Light Studios, LLC
NAPOLEON: RULE OF IRON $19.99 22 90% 660 $13k (exactly $13,193) Eisengeist Studio
Believr Pro Wrestling · EA $14.99 25 72% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) Believr Games
Clutch Legend: FPS Career Simulator $6.49 37 89% 1.1k $7.2k (exactly $7,204) Federico Mariotti
Clicker Complex: Vira’s Private Stream $4.99 39 41% 1.2k $5.8k (exactly $5,838) PrincessComplex Games
Ironblood · EA $19.99 7 71% 210 $4.2k (exactly $4,198) Jack Wilds

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