Do I ship it?

GamesImmersive SimImmersive Sim + Noir

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Noir Immersive Sim?

Immersive Sim + Noir

Of 54 developers who shipped a Noir Immersive Sim 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.. 101 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×1.6 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $2.5M, ×1674 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 101 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 101 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Immersive Sim + Noir
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 54
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $449 → $22k → $6.1k → $4.9k → $4.3k → $4.4k → $1.5k (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Immersive Sim + Noir: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 54
Bottom 30% $592 (exactly $592)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,398)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $12,724)
Top 5% $2.5M (exactly $2,507,373)
Developers, 2 yr 54
Released games 105
Announced 101
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 60% on the market, supply 105% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Immersive Sim
effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
Noir
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Immersive Sim; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Adventure, Investigation
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 28,397 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $600, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $2.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $600. 7 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 101 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds112 devs · median $63k · 58 announced
  2. + Trading Card GameStrong odds18 devs · median $30k · 13 announced
  3. + MinigamesStrong odds15 devs · median $24k · 11 announced
  4. + WesternStrong odds17 devs · median $4.4k · 14 announced
  5. + BoxingStrong odds16 devs · median $2.7k · 12 announced
  6. + Job SimulatorFair152 devs · median $20k · 180 announced
  7. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $17k · 10 announced
  8. + Dating SimFair295 devs · median $13k · 296 announced
  9. + RomanceFair254 devs · median $12k · 266 announced
  10. + LGBTQ+Fair87 devs · median $11k · 93 announced
  11. + Visual NovelFair399 devs · median $7.8k · 453 announced
  12. + Split ScreenFair12 devs · median $6.0k · 14 announced

All 219 pairs on the Immersive Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Shadows of Doubt $24.99 14,646 82% 439k $11M (exactly $10,980,106) ColePowered Games
The Precinct $29.99 7,837 87% 235k $7.1M (exactly $7,050,949) Fallen Tree Games Ltd
Fallen Aces · EA older $14.99 6,608 96% 198k $3.0M (exactly $2,971,618) Trey Powell, Jason Bond
Psycho Patrol R · EA $39.99 2,090 88% 63k $2.5M (exactly $2,507,373) Consumer Softproducts
Intravenous older $19.99 2,872 91% 86k $1.7M (exactly $1,722,338) Explosive Squat Games
IMMORTALITY older $19.99 1,768 84% 53k $1.1M (exactly $1,060,270) Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid
DEATH NOTE Killer Within $9.99 2,324 84% 70k $697k (exactly $696,503) Grounding Inc.
The Darkest Files $19.99 668 95% 20k $401k (exactly $400,600) Paintbucket Games
CaseCracker2 older $11.99 759 90% 23k $273k (exactly $273,012) BlackRobe
Traditional Chinese Medicine Simulator · EA older $14.99 304 96% 9.1k $137k (exactly $136,709) 曲波
Where it all Began - Season 1 · EA $9.99 286 84% 8.6k $86k (exactly $85,714) OceanAVN
Moves Of The Diamond Hand · EA $19.99 105 100% 3.2k $63k (exactly $62,968) Cosmo D Studios
Creepy Shift: Uncle Joe’s Motel $6.99 177 90% 5.3k $37k (exactly $37,117) Night Shift Team
Lover's Enigma $11.99 98 87% 2.9k $35k (exactly $35,251) FallenCranberry Studio
Boxed Girl $4.99 166 72% 5.0k $25k (exactly $24,850) エデン&イブ

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