Do I ship it?

Games › Investigation › Investigation + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Investigation Idler?

Investigation + Idler

Only 15 developers shipped an Investigation Idler in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, I'm on Observation Duty 7, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $420. Revenue is up 630% on the market; 16 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 630% on the market, 16 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Investigation + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $47k → $1.3k → $19k → $419 → $598 (still earning) → $12k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Investigation + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $418 (exactly $418)
Median $898 (exactly $898)
Top 25% $6.6k (exactly $6,625)
Top 5% $153k (exactly $153,232)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 35
Announced 16
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.99

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 630% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Investigation
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Investigation, Idler
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 862 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $900, 1 in 4 over $6.6k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Investigation with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Escape RoomFair61 devs · median $2.1k · 50 announced
  2. + TriviaLong shot8 devs · median $215 · 9 announced
  3. + LGBTQ+Poor odds42 devs · median $39k · 70 announced
  4. + JRPGPoor odds16 devs · median $12k · 27 announced
  5. + HistoricalPoor odds64 devs · median $9.0k · 121 announced
  6. + RomancePoor odds62 devs · median $9.0k · 101 announced
  7. + GothicPoor odds26 devs · median $8.1k · 54 announced
  8. + LovecraftianPoor odds56 devs · median $7.2k · 104 announced
  9. + Dating SimPoor odds37 devs · median $6.6k · 50 announced
  10. + Card GamePoor odds14 devs · median $6.6k · 34 announced
  11. + SciencePoor odds21 devs · median $5.9k · 36 announced
  12. + NoirPoor odds112 devs · median $5.5k · 230 announced

All 134 pairs on the Investigation page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

I'm on Observation Duty 7 2024 · $153k Joyville 2023 · $99k 1997 2023 · $69k Family curse 2023 · $47k Reborn - Season 1: New Life 2024 · $34k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
I'm on Observation Duty 7 $11.99 426 93% 13k $153k (exactly $153,232) Notovia, Dreamloop Games
Joyville older $9.99 331 69% 9.9k $99k (exactly $99,201) KudPlay Games
1997 older $9.99 231 92% 6.9k $69k (exactly $69,231) Hit'n'Run Digital Studio, RUZURA Intera… (Hit'n'Run Digital Studio, RUZURA Interactive)
Family curse older $6.99 222 90% 6.7k $47k (exactly $46,553) Stork Game
Reborn - Season 1: New Life older $9.99 112 80% 3.4k $34k (exactly $33,566) Woundead
Desktop Detective $4.99 144 88% 4.3k $22k (exactly $21,557) Conradical Games
Blacklist Mafia older $9.99 65 83% 2.0k $19k (exactly $19,480) VICTORIA Games
The Hust Banhmi | Bánh Mì Bách Khoa $1.99 208 93% 6.2k $12k (exactly $12,418) marisa0704
Amazing Superhero Squad older $5.99 37 64% 1.1k $6.6k (exactly $6,649) Siberian Koala
Sweet Love (Chapter 1) $12.99 17 82% 510 $6.6k (exactly $6,625) Zarioly
Sea of Electronica $4.99 27 74% 810 $4.0k (exactly $4,042) Playbooster
Shoplifter: No Escape $2.99 19 73% 570 $1.7k (exactly $1,704) Lustful Universe
Checkpoint Inc $4.27 8 75% 240 $1.0k (exactly $1,025) Punchers
GlobalQuarantine $4.99 6 33% 180 $898 (exactly $898) Contagio Games
Let Me Catch You · EA $3.99 5 20% 150 $598 (exactly $598) Aconite Games
Junkyard Universe $6.99 2 100% 60 $419 (exactly $419) Sarah Dressel

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