Games › Puzzle › Puzzle + Steampunk
Should I ship a Steampunk Puzzle game?
Puzzle + Steampunk
Of 40 developers who shipped a Steampunk Puzzle 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.. 85 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×2.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $630k, ×1005 the market median. Revenue is up 125% on the market; 85 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.7k (exactly $1,731) |
| Top 25% | $7.9k (exactly $7,913) |
| Top 5% | $631k (exactly $631,042) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 40 |
| Released games | 185 |
| Announced | 85 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 125% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Puzzle; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Point & Click, Adventure, Exploration
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, Lore-Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 1,976 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 85 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Puzzle with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Medical SimFair
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + VampiresFair
- + CatsFair
- + DemonsFair
- + God GameFair
- + RomanceFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + LemmingsFair
Comparable games
FAR: Lone Sails 2018 · $11M 
Machinarium 2009 · $11M 
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles 2021 · $6.1M 
Syberia: The World Before 2022 · $4.9M 
The Room 4: Old Sins 2021 · $4.8M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | FAR: Lone Sails | older | $14.99 | 24,474 95% | 734k | $11M (exactly $11,005,958) | Okomotive |
| | Machinarium | older | $19.99 | 17,552 95% | 527k | $11M (exactly $10,525,934) | Amanita Design |
| | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles | older | $39.99 | 5,113 93% | 153k | $6.1M (exactly $6,134,066) | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| | Syberia: The World Before | older | $39.99 | 4,069 89% | 122k | $4.9M (exactly $4,881,579) | Microids Studio Paris |
| | The Room 4: Old Sins | older | $8.99 | 17,806 98% | 534k | $4.8M (exactly $4,802,278) | Fireproof Games |
 | The Room | older | $4.99 | 30,421 97% | 913k | $4.6M (exactly $4,554,024) | Fireproof Games |
 | Opus Magnum | older | $19.99 | 5,964 97% | 179k | $3.6M (exactly $3,576,611) | Zachtronics |
 | The Room Two | older | $4.99 | 21,056 97% | 632k | $3.2M (exactly $3,152,083) | Fireproof Games |
 | Deponia | older | $9.99 | 10,455 87% | 314k | $3.1M (exactly $3,133,364) | Daedalic Entertainment |
 | Deponia: The Complete Journey | older | $29.99 | 3,375 85% | 101k | $3.0M (exactly $3,036,488) | Daedalic Entertainment |
 | Syberia - Remastered | $29.99 | 724 70% | 22k | $651k (exactly $651,383) | Virtuallyz Gaming, Microids Studio Paris | |
 | Amerzone - The Explorer's Legacy | $39.99 | 526 90% | 16k | $631k (exactly $631,042) | Microids Studio Paris | |
 | Neyyah | $24.99 | 229 83% | 6.9k | $172k (exactly $171,681) | Defy Reality Entertainment | |
 | Éalú | $9.99 | 254 92% | 7.6k | $76k (exactly $76,124) | Beyond the Bark, Orr Games | |
 | Lust Manor: Leona’s Secret | $9.99 | 89 78% | 2.7k | $27k (exactly $26,673) | Kinky Business Group | |
 | Brassheart | $15.99 | 53 98% | 1.6k | $25k (exactly $25,424) | Hexy Studio | |
 | MAELSTROM LEGACY: The Tesla Mystery | $10.99 | 36 69% | 1.1k | $12k (exactly $11,869) | Wistfulware | |
 | Power Sink | $14.99 | 26 96% | 780 | $12k (exactly $11,692) | Winterwire Games | |
 | Hermes Library | $15.99 | 17 88% | 510 | $8.2k (exactly $8,155) | SoaringHeart | |
 | Nova Patria | $11.99 | 22 100% | 660 | $7.9k (exactly $7,913) | Sower Interactive |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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