Games › Social Deduction › Social Deduction + Investigation
Should I ship an Investigation Social Deduction game?
Social Deduction + Investigation
Of 26 developers who shipped an Investigation Social Deduction 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.. 43 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.4k, level with the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $780k, ×527 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 43 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $479 (exactly $479) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,439) |
| Top 25% | $6.6k (exactly $6,584) |
| Top 5% | $789k (exactly $788,919) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 26 |
| Released games | 48 |
| Announced | 43 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 30% on the market, supply 125% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Social Deduction
- effort 7 / 10 · low · online lobbies, voice or chat, live player base
- Investigation
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Social Deduction, Investigation; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Strategy, Survival
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Dialogue Heavy, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 23,604 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $480. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Social Deduction with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SurvivalFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + SimulationFair
- + PuzzleLong shot
- + Board GameLong shot
- + Survival HorrorPoor odds
- + HorrorPoor odds
- + AdventurePoor odds
- + Character CustomizationPoor odds
- + PvPPoor odds
- + RPGPoor odds
- + ActionPoor odds
Comparable games
LOCKDOWN Protocol 2025 · $5.0M 
Project Winter 2019 · $4.1M 
Deceive Inc. 2023 · $2.9M 
Feign 2025 · $789k 
Eville 2022 · $195k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | LOCKDOWN Protocol | $9.99 | 16,605 86% | 498k | $5.0M (exactly $4,976,518) | Mirage Creative Lab | |
| | Project Winter | older | $9.99 | 13,662 84% | 410k | $4.1M (exactly $4,094,501) | Other Ocean Interactive |
| | Deceive Inc. | older | $19.99 | 4,755 84% | 143k | $2.9M (exactly $2,851,574) | Sweet Bandits Studios |
| | Feign | $4.99 | 5,270 91% | 158k | $789k (exactly $788,919) | Teneke Kafalar | |
| | Eville | older | $14.99 | 433 68% | 13k | $195k (exactly $194,720) | VestGames |
 | BACKROOMS: APPREHENSION | $2.99 | 1,371 83% | 41k | $123k (exactly $122,979) | DMNT Interactive | |
 | Killer: Infected One of Us | older | $6.99 | 196 52% | 5.9k | $41k (exactly $41,101) | DreamTeamGames |
 | Deadly Trick | · EA | $8.99 | 141 95% | 4.2k | $38k (exactly $38,028) | Finalblow Co. |
 | 3DMurderMystery TheAshenYou | $18.99 | 38 73% | 1.1k | $22k (exactly $21,649) | ぐだぐだぶとん | |
 | Hodgepodge Hunch | older | $4.99 | 140 93% | 4.2k | $21k (exactly $20,958) | uracon |
 | Dungeon Tells | $7.99 | 32 75% | 960 | $7.7k (exactly $7,670) | Ace Benoff | |
 | PENTALOOP -ペンタループ- | $3.99 | 55 72% | 1.7k | $6.6k (exactly $6,584) | イバラユーギ×ひろゆ～プロジェクト | |
 | DEATHMARK | · EA | $4.99 | 35 91% | 1.1k | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) | Wired Creations Studio |
 | Stick Scholars | $4.99 | 30 90% | 900 | $4.5k (exactly $4,491) | JaDropping Games | |
 | Ritual Night | · EA | $4.99 | 27 85% | 810 | $4.0k (exactly $4,042) | Outfox Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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