Games › Investigation › Investigation + Post-apocalyptic
Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Investigation game?
Investigation + Post-apocalyptic
Of 37 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 86 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×2.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×238 the market median. Revenue is up 150% on the market; 86 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $598 (exactly $598) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.7k (exactly $1,676) |
| Top 25% | $21k (exactly $21,279) |
| Top 5% | $149k (exactly $149,276) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 37 |
| Released games | 104 |
| Announced | 86 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 150% 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.
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Post-apocalyptic
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Investigation; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Action
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 2,746 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 7 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 86 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 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
Content Warning 2024 · $17M 
The Talos Principle: Reawakened 2025 · $1.3M 
ABYSS OF THE SACRIFICE 2020 · $286k 
BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION 2020 · $201k 
Lost Dimension 2017 · $166k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Content Warning | older | $7.99 | 72,444 93% | 2.2M | $17M (exactly $17,364,827) | Zorro, Wilnyl, Philip, thePetHen, Skog |
| | The Talos Principle: Reawakened | $39.99 | 1,085 90% | 33k | $1.3M (exactly $1,301,674) | Croteam | |
| | ABYSS OF THE SACRIFICE | older | $39.99 | 238 81% | 7.1k | $286k (exactly $285,529) | INTENSE |
| | BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION | older | $12.99 | 517 75% | 16k | $201k (exactly $201,475) | THE BROTHERHOOD |
| | Lost Dimension | older | $24.99 | 221 72% | 6.6k | $166k (exactly $165,684) | FURYU Corporation |
 | Once Alive | $11.99 | 415 82% | 12k | $149k (exactly $149,276) | Cem Boray Yıldırım | |
 | HARDCODED | $16.99 | 282 90% | 8.5k | $144k (exactly $143,735) | Ghost Hug Games | |
 | Dread X Collection 4: The Hunt | older | $9.99 | 379 88% | 11k | $114k (exactly $113,586) | DreadXP, David Szymanski, Christopher Y… (DreadXP, David Szymanski, Christopher Yabsley, KIRA, Philisophic Games, Dan McGrath, TorpleDook, Abbey 'Scruncho' Smith, Vidas Salavejus, Redact Games, Wayward Preacher, Mr. Pink, Aaron Wise) |
 | Infinite Lives | $14.99 | 217 76% | 6.5k | $98k (exactly $97,585) | MDickie | |
 | Anoxia Station | $14.99 | 179 76% | 5.4k | $80k (exactly $80,496) | Bonereaders | |
 | Dustland | · EA | $22.99 | 100 69% | 3.0k | $69k (exactly $68,970) | RedPad Games |
 | DRUDGE | · EA | $12.99 | 139 94% | 4.2k | $54k (exactly $54,168) | Writegg |
 | 60 Minutes to Extinction: Escape Room | $7.99 | 153 82% | 4.6k | $37k (exactly $36,674) | mc2games | |
 | Dreadweave | · EA | $9.99 | 105 72% | 3.2k | $31k (exactly $31,468) | DeadGrass Games |
 | how to kill a fly [ H2KAF ] | $9.99 | 71 97% | 2.1k | $21k (exactly $21,279) | Radtel Collective |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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