Games › Metroidvania › Metroidvania + Lovecraftian
Should I ship a Lovecraftian Metroidvania?
Metroidvania + Lovecraftian
Only 8 developers shipped a Lovecraftian Metroidvania 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, Voidwrought, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×5.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $28k, ×59 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $19k; 1 in 20 cleared $560k, ×1182 the market median. Revenue is up 255% on the market; 29 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $19k (exactly $18,887) |
|---|---|
| Median | $28k (exactly $27,872) |
| Top 25% | $211k (exactly $211,415) |
| Top 5% | $561k (exactly $561,319) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 8 |
| Released games | 33 |
| Announced | 29 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
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 255% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Metroidvania
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Lovecraftian
- 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
- Metroidvania
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $14.99.
The top 10 games average 90% positive over 66,882 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $19k. 29 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Metroidvania with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + ParkourPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
- + SimulationPoor odds
- + CollectathonPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Survival HorrorPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + VampiresPoor odds
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
Comparable games
CARRION 2020 · $20M 
ICEY 2016 · $8.3M 
Sundered®: Eldritch Edition 2017 · $2.5M 
Source of Madness 2022 · $846k 
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition 2023 · $589k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | CARRION | older | $19.99 | 33,270 94% | 998k | $20M (exactly $19,952,019) | Phobia Game Studio |
| | ICEY | older | $10.99 | 25,142 89% | 754k | $8.3M (exactly $8,289,317) | FantaBlade Network |
| | Sundered®: Eldritch Edition | older | $19.99 | 4,094 81% | 123k | $2.5M (exactly $2,455,172) | Thunder Lotus |
| | Source of Madness | older | $19.99 | 1,410 69% | 42k | $846k (exactly $845,577) | Carry Castle |
| | The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition | older | $24.99 | 786 71% | 24k | $589k (exactly $589,264) | Plot Twist |
 | Voidwrought | $19.99 | 936 77% | 28k | $561k (exactly $561,319) | Powersnake | |
 | Elderand | older | $19.99 | 552 75% | 17k | $331k (exactly $331,034) | Mantra, Sinergia Games |
 | Tombwater | $24.99 | 282 92% | 8.5k | $211k (exactly $211,415) | Moth Atlas | |
 | OUTBUDDIES DX | older | $17.99 | 200 70% | 6.0k | $108k (exactly $107,940) | Julian Laufer |
 | Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials | older | $14.99 | 210 80% | 6.3k | $94k (exactly $94,437) | Unspeakable Pixels |
 | Auridia | $9.99 | 169 97% | 5.1k | $51k (exactly $50,649) | Reed Molbak, Norseboar Games | |
 | The Island of Doctor Morose | $9.99 | 93 95% | 2.8k | $28k (exactly $27,872) | Square Butterfly Interactive | |
 | SENARA: The Sacrament | $17.99 | 51 74% | 1.5k | $28k (exactly $27,525) | Influsion Inc. | |
 | VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood | $14.99 | 42 57% | 1.3k | $19k (exactly $18,887) | Ash Jackson | |
 | The Shaman's Ark | $9.99 | 47 97% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $14,086) | Amortiz Games | |
 | Rusty Flesh | $7.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $479 (exactly $479) | Wasteland Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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