Should I ship a Modern-Day FMV?
FMV + Modern
Of 22 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 49 more are announced, ×5.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $76k, ×159 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $35k; 1 in 20 cleared $9.7M, ×20577 the market median. Revenue is up 140% on the market; 49 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $35k (exactly $34,765) |
|---|---|
| Median | $76k (exactly $75,550) |
| Top 25% | $202k (exactly $202,106) |
| Top 5% | $9.8M (exactly $9,774,117) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 22 |
| Released games | 55 |
| Announced | 49 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 140% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 2%, 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; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Interactive Fiction, RPG, Visual Novel
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cinematic, Lore-Rich, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 63,442 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $35k. 2 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 49 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.4 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
Tempest Rising 2025 · $12M 
Revenge on gold diggers 2025 · $9.8M 
极速营救 2025 · $557k 
我打不过漂亮的她们 2025 · $366k 
Blood Money: Lethal Eden 2026 · $340k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Tempest Rising | $39.99 | 9,811 87% | 294k | $12M (exactly $11,770,257) | Slipgate Ironworks™ | |
| | Revenge on gold diggers | $6.99 | 46,610 80% | 1.4M | $9.8M (exactly $9,774,117) | 前方工作室 | |
| | 极速营救 | $9.99 | 1,860 86% | 56k | $557k (exactly $557,442) | 优映文化, 想象颗粒 | |
| | 我打不过漂亮的她们 | $10.99 | 1,111 95% | 33k | $366k (exactly $366,297) | 想象颗粒 | |
| | Blood Money: Lethal Eden | $8.99 | 1,262 91% | 38k | $340k (exactly $340,361) | 碧火互娱 | |
 | The Solitaire Conspiracy | older | $11.99 | 742 89% | 22k | $267k (exactly $266,897) | Bithell Games |
 | Breaker of fatalism | $10.99 | 613 88% | 18k | $202k (exactly $202,106) | showplay entertainment | |
 | Next Space Rebels | older | $19.99 | 327 84% | 9.8k | $196k (exactly $196,102) | Studio Floris Kaayk |
 | BAZOOKA: Rhythm Game | $7.99 | 664 98% | 20k | $159k (exactly $159,161) | Gregory Seguru, Codrin Bradea | |
 | Enjoy Amoy&Sisters | $4.99 | 855 96% | 26k | $128k (exactly $127,994) | Choice Studio | |
 | 这个CEO我当定了！ | $7.99 | 462 82% | 14k | $111k (exactly $110,741) | 叁石肆两 | |
 | Giant Waifu Wash Simulator 💦 | $14.99 | 194 65% | 5.8k | $87k (exactly $87,242) | Lewd Star |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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