Games › Exploration › Exploration + Villain Protagonist
Should I ship a Villain-Led Exploration game?
Exploration + Villain Protagonist
Only 9 developers shipped a Villain-Led Exploration 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, Mr. Sleepy Man, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×6.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $22k against a market of $480. 27 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $8.4k (exactly $8,392) |
|---|---|
| Median | $22k (exactly $22,491) |
| Top 25% | $116k (exactly $115,573) |
| Top 5% | $381k (exactly $381,409) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 37 |
| Announced | 27 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
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 820% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 3%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Villain Protagonist
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Exploration
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $14.99.
The top 10 games average 84% positive over 47,237 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $8.4k. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×6.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Exploration with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + MinigamesFair
- + SpaceshipsFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + WuxiaPoor odds
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + Martial ArtsPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + FMVPoor odds
- + FarmingPoor odds
Comparable games
Maneater 2021 · $26M 
Pumpkin Jack 2020 · $6.7M 
DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS 2022 · $4.5M 
LEGO® City Undercover 2017 · $4.4M 
Undead Horde 2019 · $564k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Maneater | older | $39.99 | 21,790 87% | 654k | $26M (exactly $26,141,463) | Tripwire Interactive |
| | Pumpkin Jack | older | $29.99 | 7,416 91% | 222k | $6.7M (exactly $6,672,175) | Evil Raptor |
| | DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS | older | $29.99 | 4,983 50% | 149k | $4.5M (exactly $4,483,205) | Dimps Corporation |
| | LEGO® City Undercover | older | $19.99 | 7,414 91% | 222k | $4.4M (exactly $4,446,176) | Traveller's Tales |
| | Undead Horde | older | $16.99 | 1,107 86% | 33k | $564k (exactly $564,238) | 10tons Ltd |
 | Autobahn Police Simulator 2 | older | $19.99 | 760 54% | 23k | $456k (exactly $455,772) | Z-Software |
 | OVERLORD: ESCAPE FROM NAZARICK | older | $29.99 | 505 65% | 15k | $454k (exactly $454,348) | ENGINES Inc. |
 | Mr. Sleepy Man | $19.99 | 636 98% | 19k | $381k (exactly $381,409) | Devin Santi | |
 | Pizza Possum | older | $6.99 | 1,800 93% | 54k | $377k (exactly $377,460) | Friedemann, Noio Games |
 | Ocean Keeper: Dome Survival | $9.99 | 826 77% | 25k | $248k (exactly $247,552) | RetroStyle Games | |
 | Relooted | $14.99 | 257 87% | 7.7k | $116k (exactly $115,573) | Nyamakop | |
 | Munch | $16.66 | 96 60% | 2.9k | $48k (exactly $47,981) | Mac n Cheese Games | |
 | Stranger Things VR | $24.99 | 30 73% | 900 | $22k (exactly $22,491) | Tender Claws | |
 | Splash Shot Golf Legend | $19.99 | 22 54% | 660 | $13k (exactly $13,193) | TANUKIHOUSE | |
 | Toastercide | $9.99 | 28 100% | 840 | $8.4k (exactly $8,392) | The Chairman | |
 | I Eat Paintings When Guards Aren't Looking | $5.99 | 39 97% | 1.2k | $7.0k (exactly $7,008) | Frog & Dove Games | |
 | Cat Nips | $4.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | firminou |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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