Games › Immersive Sim › Immersive Sim + Thriller
Should I ship a Thriller Immersive Sim?
Immersive Sim + Thriller
Of 197 developers who shipped a Thriller 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.. 258 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×1.5 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $250k, ×169 the market median. Revenue is down 20% on the market; 258 games are announced against 111 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $592 (exactly $592) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.2k (exactly $2,246) |
| Top 25% | $14k (exactly $13,922) |
| Top 5% | $254k (exactly $253,603) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 197 |
| Released games | 380 |
| Announced | 258 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 down 20% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Thriller
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Immersive Sim; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Simulation, Exploration
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.49 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Story Rich, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.49 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 17,884 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 7 in 10 of the 117 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 258 games are announced against 111 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Immersive Sim with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Trading Card GameStrong odds
- + MinigamesStrong odds
- + WesternStrong odds
- + BoxingStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + Dating SimFair
- + RomanceFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Split ScreenFair
Comparable games
The Operator 2024 · $3.6M 
Five Hearts Under One Roof season2 2025 · $1.5M 
The Complex: Expedition 2025 · $1.2M 
Subliminal 2026 · $1.1M 
THE 4 SINS 2024 · $1.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Operator | older | $13.99 | 8,515 91% | 255k | $3.6M (exactly $3,573,746) | Bureau 81 |
| | Five Hearts Under One Roof season2 | $22.99 | 2,149 96% | 64k | $1.5M (exactly $1,482,165) | Storytaco | |
| | The Complex: Expedition | $14.99 | 2,620 89% | 79k | $1.2M (exactly $1,178,214) | pgWave | |
| | Subliminal | $9.99 | 3,535 74% | 106k | $1.1M (exactly $1,059,440) | Accidental Studios | |
| | THE 4 SINS | older | $9.99 | 3,377 23% | 101k | $1.0M (exactly $1,012,087) | 奇门互娱 |
 | SubZero | $9.99 | 2,719 92% | 82k | $815k (exactly $814,884) | Joy Media Limited | |
 | Scene Investigators | older | $24.99 | 961 74% | 29k | $720k (exactly $720,462) | EQ Studios |
 | Evil Nun: The Broken Mask | older | $19.99 | 1,084 95% | 33k | $650k (exactly $650,075) | Keplerians, Carlos Coronado |
 | Millennium Dream | $7.99 | 2,598 92% | 78k | $623k (exactly $622,741) | LucidDreamLab | |
 | SIMULACRA | older | $4.99 | 3,454 92% | 104k | $517k (exactly $517,064) | Kaigan Games OÜ |
 | WILL: Follow The Light | $24.99 | 527 73% | 16k | $395k (exactly $395,092) | TomorrowHead Studio | |
 | Sunken Engine | $14.99 | 814 80% | 24k | $366k (exactly $366,056) | Two Nomads Studio | |
 | 消失的航班，还有她她她！Lost in the secret! | $19.99 | 602 89% | 18k | $361k (exactly $361,019) | Humongous Pictures | |
 | Blood Money: Lethal Eden | $8.99 | 1,262 91% | 38k | $340k (exactly $340,361) | 碧火互娱 | |
 | Evil School | $7.99 | 1,058 92% | 32k | $254k (exactly $253,603) | CineGame Interactive |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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