Do I ship it?

GamesOnline Co-OpOnline Co-Op + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller Online Co-Op game?

Online Co-Op + Thriller

Of 81 developers who shipped a Thriller Online Co-Op 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.. 158 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×2.4 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $680; 1 in 20 cleared $170k, ×119 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 158 games are announced against 51 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 158 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Online Co-Op + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 81
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.5k → $7.6k → $1.8k → $6.2k → $6.9k → $5.3k → $2.7k (still earning) → $479 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Online Co-Op + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 81
Bottom 30% $674 (exactly $674)
Median $3.6k (exactly $3,594)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $21,180)
Top 5% $178k (exactly $177,722)
Developers, 2 yr 81
Released games 172
Announced 158
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 55% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Online Co-Op
effort 8 / 10 · low · netcode, lobbies and state sync across machines
Thriller
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Online Co-Op; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Co-op, Action, Action-Adventure
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 11,869 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $680, median $3.6k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $170k.

3 in 10 developers made under $680. 8 in 10 of the 34 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 158 games are announced against 51 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Online Co-Op with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Bullet HeavenStrong odds27 devs · median $9.3k · 38 announced
  2. + Escape RoomFair31 devs · median $14k · 32 announced
  3. + TypingFair16 devs · median $5.0k · 12 announced
  4. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Point & ClickFair28 devs · median $1.7k · 34 announced
  6. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds29 devs · median $443k · 70 announced
  7. + TransportationPoor odds14 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  8. + JRPGPoor odds11 devs · median $346k · 16 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds72 devs · median $217k · 139 announced
  10. + World War IIPoor odds10 devs · median $188k · 18 announced
  11. + City BuilderPoor odds32 devs · median $118k · 55 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds20 devs · median $95k · 18 announced

All 211 pairs on the Online Co-Op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Phasmophobia · EA older $19.99 684,009 94% 21M $410M (exactly $410,200,197) Kinetic Games
Demonologist older $19.99 18,886 85% 567k $11M (exactly $11,325,934) Clock Wizard Games
Secret Neighbor: Hello Neighbor Multiplayer older $19.99 14,865 86% 446k $8.9M (exactly $8,914,540) Hologryph, Eerie Guest Studios
Dead Space™ 3 older $19.99 12,238 72% 367k $7.3M (exactly $7,339,129) Visceral Games
Pacify older $4.99 32,921 86% 988k $4.9M (exactly $4,928,274) Shawn Hitchcock
The Past Within older $5.99 14,673 94% 440k $2.6M (exactly $2,636,738) Rusty Lake
Fears to Fathom® - Scratch Creek $7.99 7,141 75% 214k $1.7M (exactly $1,711,698) Rayll
Ghost Exorcism INC. · EA older $11.99 4,256 76% 128k $1.5M (exactly $1,530,883) StudioGoupil
Clawed $19.99 729 52% 22k $437k (exactly $437,181) Flatrock Games
Hospital 666 older $7.99 1,203 71% 36k $288k (exactly $288,359) Lokin
Project Unknown $9.99 776 81% 23k $233k (exactly $232,567) PsychoRavens
Nested Lands · EA $14.99 482 73% 14k $217k (exactly $216,755) 1M Bits Horde
UNDERWARD $9.99 593 73% 18k $178k (exactly $177,722) INTENSE
Unpossess: Exorcism Simulator $14.99 373 70% 11k $168k (exactly $167,738) Chreseeba Games
School 666 $9.99 555 82% 17k $166k (exactly $166,334) Lokin
Backroom Company $8.99 608 81% 18k $164k (exactly $163,978) Hypercent Inc.
La Quimera · EA $29.99 167 51% 5.0k $150k (exactly $150,250) Reburn
Lost Lullabies: The Orphanage Chronicles $10.99 445 70% 13k $147k (exactly $146,716) Pugsy Studios

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