Do I ship it?

GamesFMVFMV + Fantasy

Specimen · observed

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.

Deciding numbers: median 63.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 32 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FMV + Fantasy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $16k → $31k → $21k → $47k → $38k → $72k → $45k (still earning) → $7.5k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FMV + Fantasy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
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.

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.

FMV
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Fantasy
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

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
Plate 4 · demand

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.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $7.2k, median $30k, 1 in 4 over $78k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

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.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SurvivalStrong odds14 devs · median $74k · 10 announced
  2. + Post-apocalypticStrong odds8 devs · median $74k · 5 announced
  3. + StrategyStrong odds50 devs · median $65k · 27 announced
  4. + Multiple EndingsStrong odds128 devs · median $65k · 93 announced
  5. + Immersive SimStrong odds112 devs · median $63k · 58 announced
  6. + Choices MatterStrong odds108 devs · median $58k · 91 announced
  7. + Dating SimStrong odds148 devs · median $57k · 111 announced
  8. + RomanceStrong odds101 devs · median $56k · 63 announced
  9. + SimulationStrong odds150 devs · median $55k · 81 announced
  10. + JRPGStrong odds12 devs · median $54k · 6 announced
  11. + Visual NovelStrong odds166 devs · median $54k · 146 announced
  12. + RPGStrong odds169 devs · median $54k · 144 announced

All 63 pairs on the FMV page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

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.