Do I ship it?

GamesExplorationExploration + Vampires

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Vampire Exploration game?

Exploration + Vampires

Of 51 developers who shipped a Vampire Exploration 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.. 69 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $4.2k, ×6.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×205 the market median. Revenue is up 10% on the market; 69 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 10% on the market, 69 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Exploration + Vampires
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 51
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.0k → $1.8k → $5.4k → $4.2k → $2.1k → $10k → $2.1k (still earning) → $14k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Exploration + Vampires: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 51
Bottom 30% $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Median $4.2k (exactly $4,196)
Top 25% $24k (exactly $24,401)
Top 5% $129k (exactly $128,614)
Developers, 2 yr 51
Released games 136
Announced 69
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 up 10% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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.

Exploration
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Vampires
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Exploration; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action-Adventure, Action
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D
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 79% positive over 3,764 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.1k, median $4.2k, 1 in 4 over $24k, 1 in 20 over $120k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 8 in 10 of the 29 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair22 devs · median $8.1k · 26 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair31 devs · median $6.7k · 42 announced
  3. + SpaceshipsFair22 devs · median $3.5k · 28 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair122 devs · median $2.2k · 109 announced
  5. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds13 devs · median $215k · 24 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds12 devs · median $192k · 35 announced
  7. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds23 devs · median $82k · 61 announced
  8. + Martial ArtsPoor odds25 devs · median $69k · 90 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds146 devs · median $58k · 354 announced
  10. + MMORPGPoor odds24 devs · median $52k · 213 announced
  11. + FMVPoor odds45 devs · median $27k · 76 announced
  12. + FarmingPoor odds41 devs · median $24k · 58 announced

All 258 pairs on the Exploration page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
V Rising older $34.99 110,505 89% 3.3M $116M (exactly $115,997,098) Stunlock Studios
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night older $39.99 29,588 93% 888k $35M (exactly $35,496,724) ArtPlay
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden older $49.99 6,429 84% 193k $9.6M (exactly $9,641,571) DON'T NOD
The Infected · EA older $15.99 6,583 84% 197k $3.2M (exactly $3,157,865) DigX Studios
Castlevania Dominus Collection older $24.99 2,362 94% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,791) KONAMI
Castlevania Advance Collection older $19.99 2,149 91% 64k $1.3M (exactly $1,288,755) KONAMI
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord older $34.99 1,209 77% 36k $1.3M (exactly $1,269,087) Digital Eclipse
Vampires: Bloodlord Rising · EA $19.99 1,631 70% 49k $978k (exactly $978,111) Mehuman Games
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition older $14.99 1,861 94% 56k $837k (exactly $836,892) Stegosoft Games
BloodRayne: Terminal Cut older $14.99 1,593 90% 48k $716k (exactly $716,372) Terminal Reality
Priest Simulator: Vampire Show $19.99 735 94% 22k $441k (exactly $440,779) Asmodev
Marisa of Liartop Mountain $14.99 286 84% 8.6k $129k (exactly $128,614) Alliance Arts, UnknownX
Space Accident VR $16.99 231 82% 6.9k $118k (exactly $117,741) VR-WRG
Erannorth Renaissance $19.99 186 81% 5.6k $112k (exactly $111,544) Spyridon Thalassinos
Near-Mage $19.99 180 89% 5.4k $108k (exactly $107,946) Stuck In Attic
Monster High™ Skulltimate Secrets™ $39.99 82 71% 2.5k $98k (exactly $98,375) Petoons Studio, Casual Brothers Ltd.
MELFIAS -Azure and Crimson Verge- $11.99 183 89% 5.5k $66k (exactly $65,825) dorgel
Dofamine VR $9.99 173 82% 5.2k $52k (exactly $51,848) VR-WRG
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 $19.99 77 63% 2.3k $46k (exactly $46,177) STORYBIRD Studio

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