Games › Sokoban › Sokoban + Mystery
Should I ship a Mystery Sokoban?
Sokoban + Mystery
Of 23 developers who shipped a Mystery Sokoban 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.. 30 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $24k, ×51 the market median. Revenue is up 295% on the market; 30 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $599 (exactly $599) |
| Top 25% | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) |
| Top 5% | $24k (exactly $24,284) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 23 |
| Released games | 56 |
| Announced | 30 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 295% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 4%, 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
- Sokoban; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, Exploration
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 96% positive over 366 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 30 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Sokoban with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + CollectathonFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + CatsFair
- + LogicFair
- + Grid-Based MovementFair
- + PuzzleFair
- + ProgrammingFair
- + 3D PlatformerFair
- + StrategyFair
- + Puzzle PlatformerFair
- + FuturisticLong shot
- + Open WorldPoor odds
Comparable games
Void Stranger 2023 · $1.2M 
I'm on Observation Duty 5 2022 · $232k 
I'm on Observation Duty 4 2021 · $118k 
He Who Watches 2026 · $65k 
Crossroad OS 2023 · $45k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Void Stranger | older | $11.99 | 3,307 91% | 99k | $1.2M (exactly $1,189,528) | System Erasure |
| | I'm on Observation Duty 5 | older | $9.99 | 775 96% | 23k | $232k (exactly $232,268) | Notovia |
| | I'm on Observation Duty 4 | older | $4.99 | 787 96% | 24k | $118k (exactly $117,814) | Notovia |
| | He Who Watches | $19.99 | 109 96% | 3.3k | $65k (exactly $65,367) | Bobby Vanden | |
| | Crossroad OS | older | $4.99 | 302 98% | 9.1k | $45k (exactly $45,209) | Guy, Daisy Games |
 | I'm on Observation Duty 3 | older | $2.99 | 351 77% | 11k | $31k (exactly $31,485) | Notovia |
 | HYNPYTOL | older | $14.99 | 64 98% | 1.9k | $29k (exactly $28,781) | base0 |
 | Ligo | $14.99 | 54 100% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $24,284) | Anthony Berleur | |
 | Time Bandit – Part 1: Appendages of the Machine | older | $9.99 | 64 93% | 1.9k | $19k (exactly $19,181) | Joel Jordon |
 | Sliding Hero | $14.99 | 42 88% | 1.3k | $19k (exactly $18,887) | Silent Chicken | |
 | Hazard Pay | $16.99 | 24 100% | 720 | $12k (exactly $12,233) | Smitner Studio | |
 | Seeking The Guardian | $8.99 | 38 94% | 1.1k | $10k (exactly $10,249) | Uiqoo, Shortcake Sweets, CubeDo | |
 | Grooveyard | $4.99 | 35 100% | 1.1k | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) | GuavaGoose Games | |
 | One More Button | $6.99 | 13 84% | 390 | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) | Tommy Kjær | |
 | FROGBLOCK | $9.99 | 8 75% | 240 | $2.4k (exactly $2,398) | nicksgamedev | |
 | Unblinking | $4.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $2.1k (exactly $2,096) | BIT FOX DEN | |
 | 7 Days Before the End | $0.99 | 29 100% | 870 | $861 (exactly $861) | TrucyAkina |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.