Games › FPS › FPS + Investigation
Should I ship an Investigation FPS?
FPS + Investigation
Of 80 developers who shipped an Investigation FPS 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.. 157 more are announced, ×5.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×0.7 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $1.3M, ×869 the market median. Revenue is up 120% on the market; 157 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.1k (exactly $1,050) |
| Top 25% | $7.9k (exactly $7,910) |
| Top 5% | $1.3M (exactly $1,301,674) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 80 |
| Released games | 207 |
| Announced | 157 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 120% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- FPS
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- FPS, Investigation; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 42,880 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 9 in 10 of the 58 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 157 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
FPS with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Dating SimFair
- + IdlerFair
- + GamblingFair
- + FaithFair
- + Precision PlatformerFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + RunnerLong shot
- + Action RTSLong shot
- + Bullet HellLong shot
- + DogsLong shot
Comparable games
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 2024 · $27M 
LOCKDOWN Protocol 2025 · $5.0M 
Species: Unknown 2025 · EA · $2.8M 
Lay a Beauty to Rest: The Darkness Peach Blossom Spring 2021 · $2.6M 
The Talos Principle: Reawakened 2025 · $1.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | $69.99 | 13,058 89% | 392k | $27M (exactly $27,417,883) | MachineGames | |
| | LOCKDOWN Protocol | $9.99 | 16,605 86% | 498k | $5.0M (exactly $4,976,518) | Mirage Creative Lab | |
| | Species: Unknown | · EA | $9.99 | 9,437 94% | 283k | $2.8M (exactly $2,828,269) | WanadevStudio |
| | Lay a Beauty to Rest: The Darkness Peach Blossom Spring | older | $13.99 | 6,310 95% | 189k | $2.6M (exactly $2,648,307) | 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame) |
| | The Talos Principle: Reawakened | $39.99 | 1,085 90% | 33k | $1.3M (exactly $1,301,674) | Croteam | |
 | White Noise 2 | older | $9.99 | 2,228 80% | 67k | $668k (exactly $667,732) | Milkstone Studios |
 | Nucleares | older | $14.99 | 1,121 84% | 34k | $504k (exactly $504,114) | Iván Marcelo Pretti |
 | USAC: Code Breach | older | $14.99 | 1,067 91% | 32k | $480k (exactly $479,830) | Questions Factory |
 | Supernatural | older | $8.99 | 1,180 63% | 35k | $318k (exactly $318,246) | Hitori De Productions |
 | Killing Time: Resurrected | $24.99 | 320 92% | 9.6k | $240k (exactly $239,904) | Nightdive Studios, 3DO | |
 | The Skin Stapler | $14.99 | 457 90% | 14k | $206k (exactly $205,513) | Tainted Pact | |
 | BACKROOMS: APPREHENSION | $2.99 | 1,371 83% | 41k | $123k (exactly $122,979) | DMNT Interactive | |
 | Pneumata | $19.99 | 99 48% | 3.0k | $59k (exactly $59,370) | Deadbolt Interactive | |
 | Dreadweave | · EA | $9.99 | 105 72% | 3.2k | $31k (exactly $31,468) | DeadGrass Games |
 | Jaden Williams' The Stalking Stairs | $2.99 | 343 88% | 10k | $31k (exactly $30,767) | Jaden Williams |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.