Games › Investigation › Investigation + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Investigation game?
Investigation + Modern
Of 48 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Investigation 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.. 73 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×471 the market median. Revenue is up 10% on the market; 73 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,559) |
| Top 25% | $22k (exactly $21,578) |
| Top 5% | $224k (exactly $223,688) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 48 |
| Released games | 114 |
| Announced | 73 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 10% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Modern
- 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
- Investigation; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Point & Click, Puzzle
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Story Rich, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 95% positive over 7,941 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 73 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Investigation with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Escape RoomFair
- + IdlerFair
- + TriviaLong shot
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
- + RomancePoor odds
- + GothicPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Card GamePoor odds
- + SciencePoor odds
Comparable games
Judgment 2022 · $11M 
Lost Judgment 2022 · $9.0M 
The Drifter 2025 · $2.8M 
Scene Investigators 2023 · $720k 
Nucleares 2023 · $504k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Judgment | older | $39.99 | 9,407 93% | 282k | $11M (exactly $11,285,578) | RGG Studio |
| | Lost Judgment | older | $39.99 | 7,461 93% | 224k | $9.0M (exactly $8,950,962) | RGG Studio |
| | The Drifter | $19.99 | 4,735 97% | 142k | $2.8M (exactly $2,839,580) | Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd | |
| | Scene Investigators | older | $24.99 | 961 74% | 29k | $720k (exactly $720,462) | EQ Studios |
| | Nucleares | older | $14.99 | 1,121 84% | 34k | $504k (exactly $504,114) | Iván Marcelo Pretti |
 | Demons' Timeline | $10.99 | 1,046 97% | 31k | $345k (exactly $344,866) | DigitalCats | |
 | Autobahn Police Simulator 3 | older | $29.99 | 374 58% | 11k | $336k (exactly $336,488) | Z-Software |
 | The Solitaire Conspiracy | older | $11.99 | 742 89% | 22k | $267k (exactly $266,897) | Bithell Games |
 | Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery | older | $9.99 | 812 86% | 24k | $243k (exactly $243,356) | Kiary Games |
 | Alex Hill: Whispers at White Oak Inn | $19.99 | 373 93% | 11k | $224k (exactly $223,688) | hannahontrek | |
 | A Case of Fraud | $8.99 | 540 97% | 16k | $146k (exactly $145,638) | Hesperus Games | |
 | Lavender Quartz 境界秤動 | $11.99 | 300 95% | 9.0k | $108k (exactly $107,910) | Edanoue, Inc. | |
 | Phoenix Springs | $14.99 | 228 85% | 6.8k | $103k (exactly $102,532) | Calligram Studio | |
 | Airport X-Ray Simulator | · EA | $12.99 | 253 80% | 7.6k | $99k (exactly $98,594) | Rainbow Lab |
 | Decide 4 God | $29.99 | 49 93% | 1.5k | $44k (exactly $44,085) | Miracle Moon | |
 | BrokenLore: DON’T LIE | $15.99 | 74 86% | 2.2k | $35k (exactly $35,498) | Serafini Productions | |
 | Jaden Williams' The Stalking Stairs | $2.99 | 343 88% | 10k | $31k (exactly $30,767) | Jaden Williams |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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