Do I ship it?

GamesPhysicsPhysics + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller Physics game?

Physics + Thriller

Of 54 developers who shipped a Thriller Physics 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.. 106 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×1.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $97k, ×155 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 106 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 106 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Physics + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 54
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $359 → $11k → $15k → $3.0k → $807 → $1.2k → $809 (still earning) → $1.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Physics + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 54
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $6.7k (exactly $6,703)
Top 5% $97k (exactly $97,370)
Developers, 2 yr 54
Released games 110
Announced 106
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 up 15% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Physics
effort 5 / 10 · low · emergent simulation bugs need hands-on tuning
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
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Physics; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Simulation, Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 3,903 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $6.7k, 1 in 20 over $97k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 8 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 106 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Physics with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderStrong odds31 devs · median $8.1k · 30 announced
  2. + Dating SimFair28 devs · median $5.9k · 20 announced
  3. + PinballFair62 devs · median $2.5k · 80 announced
  4. + World War IIFair11 devs · median $1.4k · 16 announced
  5. + Mini GolfFair40 devs · median $1.2k · 44 announced
  6. + GolfFair55 devs · median $987 · 59 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair179 devs · median $718 · 230 announced
  8. + IdlerFair142 devs · median $718 · 167 announced
  9. + Hidden ObjectFair162 devs · median $600 · 157 announced
  10. + CatsFair76 devs · median $599 · 101 announced
  11. + Mystery DungeonFair22 devs · median $539 · 20 announced
  12. + BilliardsFair36 devs · median $538 · 32 announced

All 251 pairs on the Physics page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Superliminal older $19.99 28,428 94% 853k $17M (exactly $17,048,272) Pillow Castle
Hidden Deep · EA older $24.99 4,293 76% 129k $3.2M (exactly $3,218,462) Cogwheel Software
DARQ: Complete Edition older $19.99 3,575 94% 107k $2.1M (exactly $2,143,928) Unfold Games
Evil Nun: The Broken Mask older $19.99 1,084 95% 33k $650k (exactly $650,075) Keplerians, Carlos Coronado
Deathground · EA $14.99 877 61% 26k $394k (exactly $394,387) Jaw Drop Games
Golfing Over It with Alva Majo older $4.99 1,461 75% 44k $219k (exactly $218,712) Majorariatto
They Killed Your Cat $6.99 883 75% 26k $185k (exactly $185,165) Vekaria
THE MULLER-POWELL PRINCIPLE older $14.99 341 71% 10k $153k (exactly $153,348) Three Dots Games
Exit From older $9.99 489 83% 15k $147k (exactly $146,553) White Box, Elendely
Tornado: Research and Rescue · EA older $12.99 356 85% 11k $139k (exactly $138,733) Sam Kennedy
Moving Houses $13.99 232 72% 7.0k $97k (exactly $97,370) Gordon Little
Cat Named Mojave $9.99 307 95% 9.2k $92k (exactly $92,008) Stargazers Studios
Japan Stigmatized Property -日本事故物件監視協会- $7.99 360 74% 11k $86k (exactly $86,292) 日本事故物件監視協会
DEDA $3.00 582 90% 17k $52k (exactly $52,380) deepins corp.
It Reaches $12.99 128 78% 3.8k $50k (exactly $49,882) Emberflight Games
Dollhouse of Dead $6.99 140 75% 4.2k $29k (exactly $29,358) Renderise Games
Lost Luminosity $3.99 235 83% 7.1k $28k (exactly $28,130) Ember Wing Games
Liminal Universe $4.80 159 60% 4.8k $23k (exactly $22,896) Gvn Games

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