Do I ship it?

GamesInteractive FictionInteractive Fiction + Gothic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Gothic Interactive Fiction?

Interactive Fiction + Gothic

Of 42 developers who shipped a Gothic Interactive Fiction 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×6.4 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $68k, ×144 the market median. Revenue is up 185% on the market; 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 185% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Interactive Fiction + Gothic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 42
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.0k → $653 → $2.5k → $2.2k → $7.0k → $270 (still earning) → $3.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Interactive Fiction + Gothic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 42
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $3.0k (exactly $3,045)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $12,288)
Top 5% $68k (exactly $68,354)
Developers, 2 yr 42
Released games 117
Announced 67
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $8.99

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 185% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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.

Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
Gothic
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
Interactive Fiction; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Visual Novel, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,567 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $3.0k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $68k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 33 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVFair164 devs · median $36k · 162 announced
  2. + Match 3Fair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  3. + VampiresFair41 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  4. + SportsFair19 devs · median $1.5k · 19 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair160 devs · median $1.4k · 144 announced
  6. + PiratesFair7 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  7. + DrivingFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 13 announced
  8. + DiplomacyFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  9. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  10. + Board GameFair9 devs · median $657 · 12 announced
  11. + SnowFair10 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  12. + BuildingFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced

All 169 pairs on the Interactive Fiction page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
My Lovely Daughter older $14.99 1,165 70% 35k $524k (exactly $523,900) GameChanger Studio
Lamplight City older $14.99 802 89% 24k $361k (exactly $360,659) Grundislav Games
My Lovely Wife older $14.99 685 74% 21k $308k (exactly $308,044) GameChanger Studio, Toge Productions
The 7th Guest Remake $19.99 241 86% 7.2k $145k (exactly $144,528) Vertigo Games, Exkee
A House of Many Doors older $10.99 383 83% 11k $126k (exactly $126,275) Pixel Trickery
Saint Kotar older $19.99 203 70% 6.1k $122k (exactly $121,739) The-Mark Entertainment
When The Night Comes older $12.99 289 92% 8.7k $113k (exactly $112,623) Lunaris Games
Duskpunk $19.99 171 91% 5.1k $103k (exactly $102,549) Clockwork Bird, James Patton
Salthe older $14.99 193 82% 5.8k $87k (exactly $86,792) Soiree
Big Tiddy Goth Baddie🖤⛓️ $14.99 152 76% 4.6k $68k (exactly $68,354) BanzaiProject
Daemonologie $2.99 561 92% 17k $50k (exactly $50,322) Katanalevy
The Crimson Maid $14.99 104 87% 3.1k $47k (exactly $46,769) GrimTalin, Darkania Works
Forsaker:DingDing&Blade $10.99 124 75% 3.7k $41k (exactly $40,883) 圣剑提灯制作组 [BladeLanternStudios]
49 Keys $9.99 76 77% 2.3k $23k (exactly $22,777) Michele Buonanno, Veronica Wu, Fabio Po… (Michele Buonanno, Veronica Wu, Fabio Porfidia)
Scarlet Defiance: The Wall Between Us $14.99 42 76% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Vmmersion Studios
I Write Games Not Tragedies $12.99 47 100% 1.4k $18k (exactly $18,316) Studio Wife
RUNT $9.99 49 79% 1.5k $15k (exactly $14,685) Grimtaste Studios

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.