Do I ship it?

GamesPoint & ClickPoint & Click + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Point & Click game?

Point & Click + Modern

Of 63 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Point & Click 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.. 95 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×2.2 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×307 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 95 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 95 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Point & Click + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 63
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $21k → $2.8k → $4.8k → $1.8k → $9.0k → $2.5k → $628 (still earning) → $718 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Point & Click + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 63
Bottom 30% $210 (exactly $210)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $8.9k (exactly $8,858)
Top 5% $146k (exactly $145,638)
Developers, 2 yr 63
Released games 153
Announced 95
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 60% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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.

Point & Click
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band
Modern
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Point & Click; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Puzzle, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Cute, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 8,033 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $210, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $8.8k, 1 in 20 over $140k.

3 in 10 developers made under $210. 8 in 10 of the 36 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 95 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Point & Click with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + JRPGFair41 devs · median $8.4k · 45 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair50 devs · median $5.8k · 56 announced
  3. + Party-Based RPGFair17 devs · median $2.5k · 20 announced
  4. + Life SimFair162 devs · median $2.4k · 219 announced
  5. + Local MultiplayerFair14 devs · median $2.0k · 8 announced
  6. + MiningFair36 devs · median $1.9k · 39 announced
  7. + CookingFair68 devs · median $1.8k · 79 announced
  8. + Escape RoomFair62 devs · median $1.8k · 51 announced
  9. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.8k · 20 announced
  10. + Local Co-OpFair12 devs · median $1.8k · 9 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpFair28 devs · median $1.7k · 34 announced
  12. + Word GameFair60 devs · median $1.6k · 56 announced

All 200 pairs on the Point & Click page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Drifter $19.99 4,735 97% 142k $2.8M (exactly $2,839,580) Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd
Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery older $9.99 812 86% 24k $243k (exactly $243,356) Kiary Games
Alex Hill: Whispers at White Oak Inn $19.99 373 93% 11k $224k (exactly $223,688) hannahontrek
Insomnia: Theater in the Head older $2.49 2,893 96% 87k $216k (exactly $216,107) Perfect Day Studio
Exposed Livestream $9.99 520 81% 16k $156k (exactly $155,844) Kumada Gaon
A Case of Fraud $8.99 540 97% 16k $146k (exactly $145,638) Hesperus Games
SKETCHY MASSAGE $10.99 438 85% 13k $144k (exactly $144,409) OZ WORKS
Breeding City Welcomes you $12.99 310 68% 9.3k $121k (exactly $120,807) meteo.H
Kimagure Temptation older $19.99 188 97% 5.6k $113k (exactly $112,744) Silky's Plus Wasabi
Phoenix Springs $14.99 228 85% 6.8k $103k (exactly $102,532) Calligram Studio
Let's Start Managing the Sexual Relief Department! $7.99 315 73% 9.5k $76k (exactly $75,506) むくどりGames
Holoidle $4.99 388 84% 12k $58k (exactly $58,084) Kindred Interactive
Device Doctor Simulator 2024 $9.99 186 62% 5.6k $56k (exactly $55,744) Tenacity Games

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