Do I ship it?

Games › Local Multiplayer › Local Multiplayer + Mystery

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mystery Local Multiplayer game?

Local Multiplayer + Mystery

Only 17 developers shipped a Mystery Local Multiplayer 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, REANIMAL, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 26 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×3.2 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $16M, ×34877 the market median. Revenue is up 125% on the market; 26 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 125% on the market, 26 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Multiplayer + Mystery
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $7.0k → $220k → $838 → $4.2k → $3.3k → $210 → $538 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Multiplayer + Mystery: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,525)
Top 25% $6.0k (exactly $5,994)
Top 5% $17M (exactly $16,566,657)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 67
Announced 26
Effort 4 / 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 125% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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.

Local Multiplayer
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Mystery
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Local Multiplayer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Co-op, Online Co-Op
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 3D, Cinematic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 14,080 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $5.9k, 1 in 20 over $16M.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + HockeyStrong odds11 devs · median $3.0k · 12 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair61 devs · median $5.8k · 64 announced
  3. + Action RPGFair43 devs · median $5.5k · 56 announced
  4. + Hex GridFair12 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  5. + ModernFair24 devs · median $3.6k · 16 announced
  6. + WargameFair28 devs · median $3.0k · 28 announced
  7. + TennisFair18 devs · median $2.3k · 10 announced
  8. + Point & ClickFair14 devs · median $2.0k · 8 announced
  9. + Artificial IntelligenceFair26 devs · median $1.8k · 27 announced
  10. + Football (American)Fair13 devs · median $1.8k · 4 announced
  11. + SportsFair196 devs · median $1.6k · 208 announced
  12. + RunnerFair23 devs · median $1.3k · 30 announced

All 174 pairs on the Local Multiplayer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

REANIMAL 2026 · $17M The Past Within 2022 · $2.6M Tick Tock: A Tale for Two 2019 · $1.8M Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition 2018 · $1.6M Escape Academy 2022 · $663k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
REANIMAL $39.99 13,809 78% 414k $17M (exactly $16,566,657) Tarsier Studios
The Past Within older $5.99 14,673 94% 440k $2.6M (exactly $2,636,738) Rusty Lake
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two older $5.99 10,006 85% 300k $1.8M (exactly $1,798,078) Other Tales Interactive
Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition older $16.99 3,096 88% 93k $1.6M (exactly $1,578,031) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
Escape Academy older $19.99 1,105 86% 33k $663k (exactly $662,668) Coin Crew Games
Wattam older $19.99 545 84% 16k $327k (exactly $326,836) Funomena
How 2 Escape older $12.99 684 71% 21k $267k (exactly $266,555) Breakfirst Games
Lakeview Cabin 2 older $13.99 542 96% 16k $227k (exactly $227,477) Roope Tamminen
Clue/Cluedo older $14.99 489 89% 15k $220k (exactly $219,903) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
Harmony's Odyssey older $14.99 308 92% 9.2k $139k (exactly $138,508) MythicOwl
Exorcist Simulator $9.99 116 66% 3.5k $35k (exactly $34,765) D.M.G.V
Mimicry! $9.99 45 97% 1.4k $13k (exactly $13,486) Wayward Skies Studio
Elsewhere Electric $24.99 11 27% 330 $8.2k (exactly $8,247) Games by Stitch
Phantom Relics $9.99 20 70% 600 $6.0k (exactly $5,994) Dex Games Studio
SusDoku: Clues & Suspects $4.99 37 35% 1.1k $5.5k (exactly $5,539) MyNeuronal
A Tower's Will $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Midnight Light Games, https://midnightl… (Midnight Light Games, https://midnightlightgames.com/)
VIDEO CHAPEL $7.99 8 87% 240 $1.9k (exactly $1,918) Jonathan Turner
Shrine Of The Forest God $2.99 17 100% 510 $1.5k (exactly $1,525) Dustin.
NECHTO: Infection Protocol $2.99 6 50% 180 $538 (exactly $538) bigmeco, BigMeco Games

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