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Should I ship a Mystery Runner?
Runner + Mystery
Of 36 developers who shipped a Mystery Runner 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.. 43 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $270 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 14 developers shipped in the last year and 43 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $59 (exactly $59) |
|---|---|
| Median | $238 (exactly $238) |
| Top 25% | $2.2k (exactly $2,209) |
| Top 5% | $344k (exactly $344,495) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 36 |
| Released games | 106 |
| Announced | 43 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $3.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 35% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Runner; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Exploration
- Price point
- $3.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 1,845 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LootFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + FPSLong shot
- + 4 Player LocalPoor odds
- + MusicPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Interactive FictionPoor odds
Comparable games
ALTF4 2021 · $848k 
Bionic Bay 2025 · $450k 
Island Notes 2025 · $344k 
Seen 2019 · EA · $277k 
Summer Catchers 2019 · $94k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ALTF4 | older | $2.99 | 9,452 80% | 284k | $848k (exactly $847,844) | PUMPKIM |
| | Bionic Bay | $19.99 | 750 84% | 23k | $450k (exactly $449,775) | Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy | |
| | Island Notes | $12.99 | 884 82% | 27k | $344k (exactly $344,495) | KangBaoGame | |
| | Seen | · EA older | $0.99 | 9,326 91% | 280k | $277k (exactly $276,982) | Seen Games |
| | Summer Catchers | older | $8.99 | 347 80% | 10k | $94k (exactly $93,586) | FaceIT |
 | 网瘾少年2005 Internet addicted youth 2005 | older | $1.99 | 426 96% | 13k | $25k (exactly $25,432) | KayKay工作室 |
 | Zardy's Cave | $7.99 | 84 80% | 2.5k | $20k (exactly $20,135) | Full Trek Media | |
 | Memori | · EA | $14.99 | 22 95% | 660 | $9.9k (exactly $9,893) | PracticalNPC |
 | CashGrab | older | $2.93 | 101 93% | 3.0k | $8.9k (exactly $8,878) | Grabba Guild Games LLC |
 | MeiQi 2020 | · EA older | $18.99 | 11 45% | 330 | $6.3k (exactly $6,267) | QZQ Studio |
 | Zerun: The Tiny Planet | $7.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) | Mirakar Studio, CINEMAX GAMES | |
 | Red Fox and the Four Seasons | $4.99 | 23 69% | 690 | $3.4k (exactly $3,443) | Boogygames Studios | |
 | 永夜镇EternalNightTown | $8.99 | 11 54% | 330 | $3.0k (exactly $2,967) | 阁楼实验室 | |
 | Heroin Hero | $9.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $2.4k (exactly $2,398) | JPGames | |
 | Corridor Exit 8 | $1.99 | 37 64% | 1.1k | $2.2k (exactly $2,209) | Mynoki Games | |
 | Mr HappyFunFace | $2.99 | 10 90% | 300 | $897 (exactly $897) | Big Red Eight |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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