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Should I ship a Physics Intentionally Awkward Controls game?
Physics + Intentionally Awkward Controls
Of 25 developers who shipped a Physics Intentionally Awkward Controls game 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.. 17 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×1.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×328 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 17 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) |
| Top 25% | $16k (exactly $16,059) |
| Top 5% | $206k (exactly $205,894) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 25 |
| Released games | 83 |
| Announced | 17 |
| Effort | 5 / 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 40% on the market, supply 55% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 2%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Physics
- effort 5 / 10 · low · emergent simulation bugs need hands-on tuning
- Intentionally Awkward Controls
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Physics, Intentionally Awkward Controls; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Action, Adventure
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Funny, Comedy
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 3,723 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 17 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Physics with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderStrong odds
- + Dating SimFair
- + PinballFair
- + World War IIFair
- + Mini GolfFair
- + GolfFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CatsFair
- + Mystery DungeonFair
- + BilliardsFair
Comparable games
Surgeon Simulator 2013 · $4.1M 
Octodad: Dadliest Catch 2014 · $4.1M 
I Am Bread 2015 · $1.9M 
The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time 2026 · $1.1M 
Manual Samuel - Last Tuesday Edition 2016 · $456k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Surgeon Simulator | older | $9.99 | 13,796 82% | 414k | $4.1M (exactly $4,134,661) | Bossa Studios |
| | Octodad: Dadliest Catch | older | $14.99 | 9,101 94% | 273k | $4.1M (exactly $4,092,720) | Young Horses |
| | I Am Bread | older | $12.99 | 4,793 78% | 144k | $1.9M (exactly $1,867,832) | Bossa Studios |
| | The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time | $14.99 | 2,361 90% | 71k | $1.1M (exactly $1,061,742) | That Fish, That Other Fish | |
| | Manual Samuel - Last Tuesday Edition | older | $9.99 | 1,522 85% | 46k | $456k (exactly $456,143) | Perfectly Paranormal |
 | Stilt Fella | older | $12.99 | 794 92% | 24k | $309k (exactly $309,422) | September Games |
 | Backseat Drivers | $9.99 | 687 78% | 21k | $206k (exactly $205,894) | GhostJam Games, Deadcat Studios | |
 | Table Manners: Physics-Based Dating Game | older | $17.99 | 369 57% | 11k | $199k (exactly $199,149) | Echo Chamber Games |
 | The Game of Sisyphus | older | $6.99 | 741 79% | 22k | $155k (exactly $155,388) | cream |
 | Ampu-Tea | older | $4.99 | 808 67% | 24k | $121k (exactly $120,958) | ProjectorGames |
 | Grandma, No! | $14.99 | 77 89% | 2.3k | $35k (exactly $34,627) | WALLRIDE | |
 | ACUVAC: A Suck and Blow Adventure | $14.99 | 54 98% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $24,284) | Curdle Games, Mr_Afroduck | |
 | All About Chopsticks | $3.99 | 180 82% | 5.4k | $22k (exactly $21,546) | Achimphang Studio | |
 | Get Tilted! :) | $14.99 | 45 97% | 1.4k | $20k (exactly $20,236) | Timebat Studio | |
 | Ells Tales: Chairbound | $1.99 | 269 81% | 8.1k | $16k (exactly $16,059) | Ells&Pills | |
 | I HATE MY LEGS | $10.99 | 17 100% | 510 | $5.6k (exactly $5,605) | Subhumans Studio | |
 | Ropebound | $4.99 | 19 94% | 570 | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) | Bubbling Cat Games | |
 | Ropeman | $5.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $2.5k (exactly $2,516) | 1K Project |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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