Do I ship it?

GamesSurvivalSurvival + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration Survival game?

Survival + Dynamic Narration

Only 11 developers shipped a Dynamic Narration Survival game 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, Steel Knight's ARMIS, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 38 more are announced, ×5.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.1 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $11k, ×19 the market median. Revenue is down 20% on the market; 38 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 38 announced, ×5.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Survival + Dynamic Narration
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: $13k → $39k → $683 → $599 → $3.8k → $1.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Survival + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 11
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,347)
Top 25% $3.8k (exactly $3,778)
Top 5% $12k (exactly $11,988)
Developers, 2 yr 11
Released games 50
Announced 38
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 20% on the market, supply 75% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Survival
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 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
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Survival, Dynamic Narration
Price point
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 66% positive over 101 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $3.7k, 1 in 20 over $11k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 38 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds14 devs · median $74k · 10 announced
  2. + Social DeductionFair31 devs · median $6.2k · 35 announced
  3. + Word GameFair22 devs · median $2.1k · 29 announced
  4. + CatsFair33 devs · median $1.2k · 34 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair77 devs · median $1.0k · 84 announced
  6. + IdlerFair96 devs · median $836 · 99 announced
  7. + Auto BattlerFair79 devs · median $807 · 90 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair101 devs · median $599 · 130 announced
  9. + DogsFair20 devs · median $535 · 19 announced
  10. + Martial ArtsLong shot19 devs · median $419 · 17 announced
  11. + Boomer ShooterLong shot39 devs · median $359 · 32 announced
  12. + DiplomacyPoor odds16 devs · median $100k · 28 announced

All 234 pairs on the Survival page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
BURIED STARS older $39.99 2,117 83% 64k $2.5M (exactly $2,539,765) LINE Games Corporation
Curious Expedition 2 older $19.99 3,861 88% 116k $2.3M (exactly $2,315,442) Maschinen-Mensch
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
The Pioneers: Surviving Desolation · EA older $29.99 397 63% 12k $357k (exactly $357,181) Supercube
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising older $29.99 211 72% 6.3k $190k (exactly $189,837) LANCARSE
The Heilwald Loophole older $9.99 344 97% 10k $103k (exactly $103,097) Jan Malitschek
DinoSystem · EA older $7.99 247 92% 7.4k $59k (exactly $59,206) Daniele Ferraro
Lust Bunker [18+] older $9.99 130 66% 3.9k $39k (exactly $38,961) BanzaiProject
Minabo - A walk through life older $14.99 58 75% 1.7k $26k (exactly $26,083) DevilishGames
Steel Knight's ARMIS $9.99 40 57% 1.2k $12k (exactly $11,988) Izanami Game Lab, Inc., FORCES
Primage · EA $6.99 21 76% 630 $4.4k (exactly $4,404) Fadzior
Breakfall: Nuclear Winter · EA $17.99 7 28% 210 $3.8k (exactly $3,778) Dominik Geuer
Blêktre 2081 $8.99 11 100% 330 $3.0k (exactly $2,967) Charles Torris
debris $9.99 6 16% 180 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) Evar Space
Little Squirrel Cabin $4.99 9 88% 270 $1.3k (exactly $1,347) LSC Games
Vacation $3.99 3 66% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Spirit
Just a stroll in the forest $2.99 3 100% 90 $269 (exactly $269) Van Isle Games
Residual Wilds $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Magic Art Hat
Titanic Rescue $2.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Ledgerdary

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