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Should I ship an Interactive Fiction Runner?
Runner + Interactive Fiction
Only 10 developers shipped an Interactive Fiction Runner 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, Fiendish Quest, 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, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $6.8k, ×15 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 16 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $839 (exactly $839) |
| Top 25% | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) |
| Top 5% | $6.9k (exactly $6,893) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 33 |
| Announced | 16 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 15% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Runner
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Interactive Fiction
- effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Runner, Interactive Fiction
- Price point
- $5.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 9 games average 81% positive over 66 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LootFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + FPSLong shot
- + 4 Player LocalPoor odds
- + MusicPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + ManagementPoor odds
Comparable games
[Chilla's Art] The Caregiver | 終焉介護 2021 · $65k 
Fiendish Quest 2025 · $6.9k 
MeiQi 2020 2023 · EA · $6.3k 
Saints and Sinners 2021 · EA · $4.6k 
VR Run 2022 · $3.6k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | [Chilla's Art] The Caregiver | 終焉介護 | older | $4.99 | 431 80% | 13k | $65k (exactly $64,521) | Chilla's Art |
| | Fiendish Quest | $9.99 | 23 73% | 690 | $6.9k (exactly $6,893) | オニチク屋！ | |
| | MeiQi 2020 | · EA older | $18.99 | 11 45% | 330 | $6.3k (exactly $6,267) | QZQ Studio |
| | Saints and Sinners | · EA older | $6.99 | 22 63% | 660 | $4.6k (exactly $4,613) | threeW |
| | VR Run | older | $29.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $3.6k (exactly $3,599) | Elvio Lujan |
 | CosmoOdyssey 2: Comeback to origin | older | $1.99 | 59 94% | 1.8k | $3.5k (exactly $3,522) | Brenntkopf Development |
 | PIXEL DASH: Toast of Destiny | $7.99 | 11 81% | 330 | $2.6k (exactly $2,637) | Clover Lab.,inc. | |
 | Mr.Bottle and his dream | older | $2.99 | 26 76% | 780 | $2.3k (exactly $2,332) | BeyondTheWind |
 | Sales, Science & Spirits | $5.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | Ufo Pizza Productions, Zero Point Games | |
 | Good Mourning | older | $2.99 | 21 90% | 630 | $1.9k (exactly $1,884) | Platonic Partnership |
 | Carpe Dino: Seize the Date | $4.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | Black Squirrels Studio Inc. | |
 | Do Not Fall | $13.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $839 (exactly $839) | After Life Studio | |
 | FORGIVE FOR EVER | $5.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $539 (exactly $539) | GENS-HEART STUDIO | |
 | Niut | $3.00 | 2 50% | 60 | $180 (exactly $180) | AF Works ® | |
 | Do Up | $3.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $120 (exactly $120) | Questich Studio | |
 | Apex Ascent | $3.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $120 (exactly $120) | Avenax | |
 | In The Vroms In Clones | $1.59 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Lucas Jardeu |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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