Games › Investigation › Investigation + Underground
Should I ship an Underground Investigation game?
Investigation + Underground
Of 21 developers who shipped an Underground 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.. 38 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $20k, ×42 the market median. Revenue is up 160% on the market; 38 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $539 (exactly $539) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) |
| Top 25% | $4.1k (exactly $4,075) |
| Top 5% | $20k (exactly $20,135) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 21 |
| Released games | 45 |
| Announced | 38 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 160% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, 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
- Underground
- 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, Exploration, Action
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 394 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $540. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 38 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 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
while True: learn() 2019 · $2.9M 
Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 2020 · $160k 
Drill and Delve 2026 · $29k 
Zardy's Cave 2024 · $20k 
Rat Cage 2023 · $9.3k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | while True: learn() | older | $12.99 | 7,350 91% | 221k | $2.9M (exactly $2,864,295) | Luden.io |
| | Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 | older | $9.99 | 533 98% | 16k | $160k (exactly $159,740) | Cosmo D |
| | Drill and Delve | $8.99 | 108 87% | 3.2k | $29k (exactly $29,128) | noOne | |
| | Zardy's Cave | $7.99 | 84 80% | 2.5k | $20k (exactly $20,135) | Full Trek Media | |
| | Rat Cage | older | $9.99 | 31 80% | 930 | $9.3k (exactly $9,291) | GosunSoft |
 | Das Geisterschiff / The Ghost Ship | older | $9.99 | 30 83% | 900 | $9.0k (exactly $8,991) | Graverobber Foundation |
 | SUBSUMED | $4.99 | 54 83% | 1.6k | $8.1k (exactly $8,084) | Hazzy | |
 | Slendrina Remake | $3.99 | 65 63% | 2.0k | $7.8k (exactly $7,780) | GearMech | |
 | AccidentHouse | older | $3.99 | 63 74% | 1.9k | $7.5k (exactly $7,541) | K App. |
 | VSCS-II | older | $9.99 | 22 90% | 660 | $6.6k (exactly $6,593) | Oliver Morrish |
 | InfinityMine | · EA | $8.99 | 16 68% | 480 | $4.3k (exactly $4,315) | HayaseWorks |
 | Water of M: Beneath the School | $7.99 | 17 88% | 510 | $4.1k (exactly $4,075) | FangSealGames | |
 | PLATFORM 0 | · EA | $4.99 | 20 45% | 600 | $3.0k (exactly $2,994) | CGI LAB GAMES |
 | DEDALO - Escape Room Adventure | $5.99 | 9 55% | 270 | $1.6k (exactly $1,617) | M9 Games | |
 | The Empty Halls | $3.99 | 13 53% | 390 | $1.6k (exactly $1,556) | MrPogofu | |
 | Echoing Silence | $4.99 | 8 75% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | Riligo Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.