Should I ship a Fantasy FMV?
FMV + Fantasy
Of 31 developers who shipped a Fantasy FMV 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.. 32 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $30k, ×64 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $7.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×425 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 32 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $7.2k (exactly $7,198) |
|---|---|
| Median | $30k (exactly $30,221) |
| Top 25% | $79k (exactly $78,719) |
| Top 5% | $202k (exactly $202,106) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 31 |
| Released games | 79 |
| Announced | 32 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $10.99 |
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 70% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 4%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- FMV; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Interactive Fiction
- Price point
- $10.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Cinematic, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 5,862 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $7.2k. 5 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 32 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
FMV with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SurvivalStrong odds
- + Post-apocalypticStrong odds
- + StrategyStrong odds
- + Multiple EndingsStrong odds
- + Immersive SimStrong odds
- + Choices MatterStrong odds
- + Dating SimStrong odds
- + RomanceStrong odds
- + SimulationStrong odds
- + JRPGStrong odds
- + Visual NovelStrong odds
- + RPGStrong odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Succubus Cafe | older | $29.99 | 2,260 89% | 68k | $2.0M (exactly $2,033,322) | MIGI STUDIO |
| | 美女,请别影响我成仙 | $10.99 | 3,140 93% | 94k | $1.0M (exactly $1,035,258) | 蒸汽满满工作室 | |
| | Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore | older | $19.99 | 893 96% | 27k | $536k (exactly $535,532) | Seedy Eye Software |
| | Spice&Wolf VR2 | older | $24.99 | 663 96% | 20k | $497k (exactly $497,051) | SpicyTails |
| | Superscout | older | $17.99 | 652 75% | 20k | $352k (exactly $351,884) | Mountain and Sea Studio |
| | Apprehending the Adventurer Chan! ~Live2D Tentacles Simulator~ | older | $7.99 | 861 96% | 26k | $206k (exactly $206,382) | No.7 Void Mine |
| | Breaker of fatalism | $10.99 | 613 88% | 18k | $202k (exactly $202,106) | showplay entertainment | |
| | Dragon's Lair | older | $9.99 | 673 77% | 20k | $202k (exactly $201,698) | Digital Leisure Inc. |
| | fault - StP - LIGHTKRAVTE | older | $17.99 | 352 87% | 11k | $190k (exactly $189,974) | ALICE IN DISSONANCE |
| | Neyyah | $24.99 | 229 83% | 6.9k | $172k (exactly $171,681) | Defy Reality Entertainment | |
| | Sovereign Brain Empire | $9.99 | 413 78% | 12k | $124k (exactly $123,776) | Mountain and Sea Studio | |
| | Kingdom of Velvet Сhains | $12.99 | 313 66% | 9.4k | $122k (exactly $121,976) | Amarta Tales | |
| | Latex & Tentacles | $10.99 | 343 67% | 10k | $113k (exactly $113,087) | ZXC, GODNASK | |
| | The Love's Ordeal | $12.99 | 253 86% | 7.6k | $99k (exactly $98,594) | Mountain and Sea Studio | |
| | SEX Guild Simulator ⚔️🔞 | $14.99 | 210 59% | 6.3k | $94k (exactly $94,437) | Lewd Star | |
| | The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time | $17.99 | 146 86% | 4.4k | $79k (exactly $78,796) | Coin Drop Games, Lucas Immanuel, jucobe… (Coin Drop Games, Lucas Immanuel, jucobee, Kyle Chuang) | |
| | Heart of the Forest | $12.99 | 202 70% | 6.1k | $79k (exactly $78,719) | Trapped Predator |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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