Do I ship it?

GamesQuick-Time EventsQuick-Time Events + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance Quick-Time Events game?

Quick-Time Events + Romance

Only 18 developers shipped a Romance Quick-Time Events game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $15k, ×31 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $3.6k; 1 in 20 cleared $18M, ×38449 the market median. Revenue is down 45% on the market; 18 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 31.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 45% on the market, 18 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Quick-Time Events + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 18
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $352k → $4.3k → $15k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Quick-Time Events + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 18
Bottom 30% $3.6k (exactly $3,596)
Median $15k (exactly $14,889)
Top 25% $62k (exactly $61,817)
Top 5% $18M (exactly $18,263,347)
Developers, 2 yr 18
Released games 34
Announced 18
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 45% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 21%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Quick-Time Events
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Romance
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Quick-Time Events; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Choices Matter, Simulation, Adventure
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Story Rich, Emotional
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 16,277 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $3.6k, median $15k, 1 in 4 over $61k, 1 in 20 over $18M.

3 in 10 developers made under $3.6k. 5 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Quick-Time Events with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimFair17 devs · median $15k · 16 announced
  2. + Shoot 'Em UpFair8 devs · median $1.2k · 12 announced
  3. + Life SimFair28 devs · median $958 · 33 announced
  4. + SimulationFair116 devs · median $748 · 133 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $720 · 18 announced
  6. + Resource ManagementFair46 devs · median $719 · 55 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $657 · 9 announced
  8. + AliensFair12 devs · median $628 · 14 announced
  9. + SpaceFair16 devs · median $597 · 24 announced
  10. + Bullet TimeLong shot10 devs · median $390 · 15 announced
  11. + DemonsLong shot17 devs · median $300 · 22 announced
  12. + Bullet HellLong shot27 devs · median $239 · 25 announced

All 110 pairs on the Quick-Time Events page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS $49.99 12,178 96% 365k $18M (exactly $18,263,347) Sonic Team
Hello Love: 18 Again $19.99 2,075 92% 62k $1.2M (exactly $1,244,378) 念念而忘(Echofall Studio)
恋爱单选题 older $10.99 2,424 81% 73k $799k (exactly $799,193) 无忧传媒
Superscout older $17.99 652 75% 20k $352k (exactly $351,884) Mountain and Sea Studio
Growing Things Up - Season 1 $12.99 707 91% 21k $276k (exactly $275,518) King, BLANQ
Rock Star Life Simulator $12.49 498 85% 15k $187k (exactly $186,601) HOGO Games
Sorry! I surrounded beauty! $5.99 344 82% 10k $62k (exactly $61,817) Really Games
My Cute Roommate 2 $24.99 76 59% 2.3k $57k (exactly $56,977) Astaros3d
Couple-Cultivation Saves the World $7.99 196 59% 5.9k $47k (exactly $46,981) Guns&Roses Studio
With Eyes Closed - Season 2 $12.99 70 78% 2.1k $27k (exactly $27,279) Ker
Beta Kafe : Write Your Love Story $6.99 71 81% 2.1k $15k (exactly $14,889) Cine-mo
MILF Sex Prison: Sector X $7.99 62 75% 1.9k $15k (exactly $14,861) Kinky Business Group

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