Do I ship it?

GamesInvestigationInvestigation + Vampires

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Vampire Investigation game?

Investigation + Vampires

Only 11 developers shipped a Vampire Investigation game 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, Security: The Horrible Nights, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $4.2k, ×6.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $24k, ×39 the market median. Revenue is up 210% on the market; 24 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 210% on the market, 24 announced, ×3.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Investigation + Vampires
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 11
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $17k → $2.4k → $16k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Investigation + Vampires: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 11
Bottom 30% $1.4k (exactly $1,363)
Median $4.2k (exactly $4,198)
Top 25% $16k (exactly $16,399)
Top 5% $24k (exactly $24,401)
Developers, 2 yr 11
Released games 30
Announced 24
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 210% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

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
Vampires
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Investigation
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 474 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.4k, median $4.2k, 1 in 4 over $16k, 1 in 20 over $24k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.4k. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Investigation with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Escape RoomFair61 devs · median $2.1k · 50 announced
  2. + IdlerFair15 devs · median $898 · 16 announced
  3. + TriviaLong shot8 devs · median $215 · 9 announced
  4. + LGBTQ+Poor odds42 devs · median $39k · 70 announced
  5. + JRPGPoor odds16 devs · median $12k · 27 announced
  6. + HistoricalPoor odds64 devs · median $9.0k · 121 announced
  7. + RomancePoor odds62 devs · median $9.0k · 101 announced
  8. + GothicPoor odds26 devs · median $8.1k · 54 announced
  9. + LovecraftianPoor odds56 devs · median $7.2k · 104 announced
  10. + Dating SimPoor odds37 devs · median $6.6k · 50 announced
  11. + Card GamePoor odds14 devs · median $6.6k · 34 announced
  12. + SciencePoor odds21 devs · median $5.9k · 36 announced

All 134 pairs on the Investigation page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong older $49.99 561 65% 17k $841k (exactly $841,332) Big Bad Wolf
The Case Book of Arne older $9.99 337 87% 10k $101k (exactly $100,999) HARUMURASAKI
Novena Diabolos older $15.99 52 96% 1.6k $25k (exactly $24,944) H5DEV Games
Security: The Horrible Nights $4.99 163 88% 4.9k $24k (exactly $24,401) Professional Villains
Bite Night: Dine or Die $6.99 85 94% 2.6k $18k (exactly $17,824) MyGrandfather Games
EXIT The Game – Trial of the Griffin older $7.99 71 84% 2.1k $17k (exactly $17,019) Nementic Games
[Redacted] The Safehouse $3.99 137 99% 4.1k $16k (exactly $16,399) Heartbeast
Dark Romance: Vampire Origins Collector's Edition older $19.99 22 90% 660 $13k (exactly $13,193) Domini
Gaze of Dread $9.99 34 100% 1.0k $10k (exactly $10,190) Just Sauce Studio
Up All Night older $6.99 31 90% 930 $6.5k (exactly $6,501) Fiendish Fiction
Vampire Nights: Horny Secret $7.99 21 52% 630 $5.0k (exactly $5,034) Strawberry Playhouse
Dixotomia $19.99 7 14% 210 $4.2k (exactly $4,198) DeepMatrix
Gloomy Tales: Hotel Frightsylvania Collector’s Edition $8.99 9 44% 270 $2.4k (exactly $2,427) Do Games Limited
Missing Hearts: Сrimson Cruise Collector's Edition $11.99 4 50% 120 $1.4k (exactly $1,439) Do Games Limited
Hollow INN $6.49 7 85% 210 $1.4k (exactly $1,363) Nussygame
Life's Too Short $6.00 7 100% 210 $1.3k (exactly $1,260) Pixel Ghost

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.