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Should I ship an Intentionally Awkward Controls Simulation game?
Simulation + Intentionally Awkward Controls
Only 12 developers shipped an Intentionally Awkward Controls Simulation game 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, Backseat Drivers, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 7 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $3.4k against a market of $630. 7 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $269 (exactly $269) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.4k (exactly $3,443) |
| Top 25% | $34k (exactly $33,548) |
| Top 5% | $206k (exactly $205,894) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 49 |
| Announced | 7 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 415% on the market, supply 65% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 4%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Simulation
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- 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
- Simulation, Intentionally Awkward Controls
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 1,501 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 7 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Simulation with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Escape RoomStrong odds
- + World War IFair
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + PinballFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + BirdsFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + MusicFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + ProgrammingFair
Comparable games
Surgeon Simulator 2013 · $4.1M 
Octodad: Dadliest Catch 2014 · $4.1M 
while True: learn() 2019 · $2.9M 
Hand Simulator 2017 · $2.5M 
I Am Bread 2015 · $1.9M | 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 |
| | while True: learn() | older | $12.99 | 7,350 91% | 221k | $2.9M (exactly $2,864,295) | Luden.io |
| | Hand Simulator | older | $2.99 | 28,415 84% | 852k | $2.5M (exactly $2,548,826) | HFM Games |
| | I Am Bread | older | $12.99 | 4,793 78% | 144k | $1.9M (exactly $1,867,832) | Bossa Studios |
 | 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 |
 | Ampu-Tea | older | $4.99 | 808 67% | 24k | $121k (exactly $120,958) | ProjectorGames |
 | Simple Fish Adventure | older | $3.99 | 374 88% | 11k | $45k (exactly $44,768) | LostVolBytes |
 | Grandma, No! | $14.99 | 77 89% | 2.3k | $35k (exactly $34,627) | WALLRIDE | |
 | Fingerdance | $2.99 | 374 97% | 11k | $34k (exactly $33,548) | zniq | |
 | ACUVAC: A Suck and Blow Adventure | $14.99 | 54 98% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $24,284) | Curdle Games, Mr_Afroduck | |
 | Ells Tales: Chairbound | $1.99 | 269 81% | 8.1k | $16k (exactly $16,059) | Ells&Pills | |
 | Count Meowcula's Barbershop | $4.99 | 23 100% | 690 | $3.4k (exactly $3,443) | Gabiverse | |
 | Getting Over It with Your Body | $9.99 | 4 25% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | BombGame | |
 | a Difficult game about Wheelchair | $2.99 | 8 62% | 240 | $718 (exactly $718) | SATEKI GAMES | |
 | Ant Workers Simulator | $2.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $269 (exactly $269) | Achimphang Studio | |
 | Shopping Cart Pusher | · EA | $2.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $179 (exactly $179) | Jack Li |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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