Games › Interactive Fiction › Interactive Fiction + Villain Protagonist
Should I ship a Villain-Led Interactive Fiction?
Interactive Fiction + Villain Protagonist
Only 6 developers shipped a Villain-Led 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, Sniper Killer, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 11 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $9.6k against a market of $480. 11 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $9.6k (exactly $9,595) |
| Top 25% | $17k (exactly $17,270) |
| Top 5% | $222k (exactly $222,295) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 6 |
| Released games | 27 |
| Announced | 11 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 down 70% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Villain Protagonist
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Interactive Fiction
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 5,929 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 11 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Interactive Fiction with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVFair
- + Match 3Fair
- + VampiresFair
- + SportsFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + PiratesFair
- + DrivingFair
- + DiplomacyFair
- + Perma DeathFair
- + Board GameFair
- + SnowFair
- + BuildingFair
Comparable games
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ 2023 · $1.3M 
My Lovely Daughter 2018 · $524k 
Demonheart 2017 · $428k 
Sniper Killer 2024 · $222k 
Demonheart: Hunters 2020 · $170k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ | older | $49.99 | 839 41% | 25k | $1.3M (exactly $1,258,248) | Daedalic Entertainment |
| | My Lovely Daughter | older | $14.99 | 1,165 70% | 35k | $524k (exactly $523,900) | GameChanger Studio |
| | Demonheart | older | $19.99 | 714 89% | 21k | $428k (exactly $428,186) | Rolling Crown |
| | Sniper Killer | $11.99 | 618 86% | 19k | $222k (exactly $222,295) | Black Eyed Priest, Henry Hoare | |
| | Demonheart: Hunters | older | $19.99 | 283 83% | 8.5k | $170k (exactly $169,715) | Rolling Crown |
 | Vae Victis - Khan | · EA older | $14.99 | 365 80% | 11k | $164k (exactly $164,140) | Doorknob22 |
 | Fallen Hero: Retribution | older | $11.99 | 415 97% | 12k | $149k (exactly $149,276) | Hosted Games |
 | Astrologaster | older | $9.99 | 474 94% | 14k | $142k (exactly $142,058) | Nyamyam |
 | Fallen Hero: Rebirth | older | $6.99 | 459 96% | 14k | $96k (exactly $96,252) | Hosted Games |
 | The Advisor - Episode 1: Royal Pain | older | $2.99 | 597 96% | 18k | $54k (exactly $53,551) | Randumb Studios |
 | Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulator | $17.99 | 32 50% | 960 | $17k (exactly $17,270) | simulinati | |
 | Utopia: Birth of The Heroes | · EA | $19.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $9.6k (exactly $9,595) | Mana Core Game Studios |
 | Werewolf Twins 👹 | $4.99 | 19 89% | 570 | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Futa Night ⚔️ | $4.99 | 18 83% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Red Riding Hood 🐺 | $4.99 | 18 88% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | TheBigO Games | |
 | IT's for Adults 🤡 | $4.99 | 17 94% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | TheBigO Games | |
 | Mammon: Devil Help | · EA | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | Dystopian Ruler |
 | Yes, My Warlord | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Staple Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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