Do I ship it?

GamesInteractive FictionInteractive Fiction + Steampunk

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Steampunk Interactive Fiction?

Interactive Fiction + Steampunk

Only 19 developers shipped a Steampunk Interactive Fiction 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, Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 33 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.7k, ×6.0 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $630k, ×1005 the market median. Revenue is up 610% on the market; 33 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 610% on the market, 33 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Interactive Fiction + Steampunk
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 19
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $17k → $1.5k → $3.0k → $12k → $21k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Interactive Fiction + Steampunk: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 19
Bottom 30% $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Median $3.7k (exactly $3,742)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $21,333)
Top 5% $631k (exactly $631,042)
Developers, 2 yr 19
Released games 44
Announced 33
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 610% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine
Steampunk
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Interactive Fiction; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Choices Matter, Dating Sim
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,201 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.1k, median $3.7k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $630k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.1k. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Interactive Fiction with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVFair164 devs · median $36k · 162 announced
  2. + Match 3Fair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  3. + VampiresFair41 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  4. + SportsFair19 devs · median $1.5k · 19 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair160 devs · median $1.4k · 144 announced
  6. + PiratesFair7 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  7. + DrivingFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 13 announced
  8. + DiplomacyFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  9. + Perma DeathFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  10. + Board GameFair9 devs · median $657 · 12 announced
  11. + SnowFair10 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  12. + BuildingFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced

All 169 pairs on the Interactive Fiction page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy $39.99 526 90% 16k $631k (exactly $631,042) Microids Studio Paris
80 Days older $12.99 1,174 91% 35k $458k (exactly $457,508) inkle Ltd, Cape Guy Ltd
A House of Many Doors older $10.99 383 83% 11k $126k (exactly $126,275) Pixel Trickery
Erannorth Renaissance $19.99 186 81% 5.6k $112k (exactly $111,544) Spyridon Thalassinos
Duskpunk $19.99 171 91% 5.1k $103k (exactly $102,549) Clockwork Bird, James Patton
Verne: The Shape of Fantasy older $14.99 221 82% 6.6k $99k (exactly $99,384) Gametopia
Tin Hearts older $19.99 75 85% 2.3k $45k (exactly $44,978) Rogue Sun
Bohemian Killing older $12.99 112 59% 3.4k $44k (exactly $43,646) The Moonwalls
A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight older $6.99 172 95% 5.2k $36k (exactly $36,068) Hosted Games
Lust Manor: Leona’s Secret $9.99 89 78% 2.7k $27k (exactly $26,673) Kinky Business Group
Lust Poker Club $7.99 89 78% 2.7k $21k (exactly $21,333) Cutie Booty
Scarlet Defiance: The Wall Between Us $14.99 42 76% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Vmmersion Studios
MAELSTROM LEGACY: The Tesla Mystery $10.99 36 69% 1.1k $12k (exactly $11,869) Wistfulware
Hermes Library $15.99 17 88% 510 $8.2k (exactly $8,155) SoaringHeart
Absurd Story: Back Home $6.99 20 100% 600 $4.2k (exactly $4,194) HcAndersen
BROKEN God Awakening $4.99 25 76% 750 $3.7k (exactly $3,742) lamb of game

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