Do I ship it?

Games › Quick-Time Events › Quick-Time Events + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller Quick-Time Events game?

Quick-Time Events + Thriller

Of 26 developers who shipped a Thriller Quick-Time Events 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.. 47 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $540, ×1.1 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $72k, ×153 the market median. Revenue is up 115% on the market; 47 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 115% on the market, 47 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Quick-Time Events + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 26
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $32k → $449 → $898 → $538 (still earning) → $959 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Quick-Time Events + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 26
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $538 (exactly $538)
Top 25% $1.4k (exactly $1,350)
Top 5% $73k (exactly $72,629)
Developers, 2 yr 26
Released games 52
Announced 47
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 115% on the market, supply 170% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
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
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Quick-Time Events; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Puzzle
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 3,228 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $540, 1 in 4 over $1.3k, 1 in 20 over $72k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 8 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 47 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 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

The Quarry 2022 · $29M Beyond: Two Souls 2020 · $22M Heavy Rain 2020 · $16M A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead 2024 · $2.1M The Bunker 2016 · $739k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Quarry older $59.99 16,127 83% 484k $29M (exactly $29,023,762) Supermassive Games
Beyond: Two Souls older $19.99 37,154 87% 1.1M $22M (exactly $22,281,254) Quantic Dream
Heavy Rain older $19.99 26,503 85% 795k $16M (exactly $15,893,849) Quantic Dream
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead $29.99 2,331 74% 70k $2.1M (exactly $2,097,201) Stormind Games
The Bunker older $14.99 1,644 69% 49k $739k (exactly $739,307) Splendy Interactive, Wales Interactive
The Bad Kids older $7.99 577 75% 17k $138k (exactly $138,307) Aluba Van+
Angel Engine $7.99 303 80% 9.1k $73k (exactly $72,629) HMS Studios, Black Lantern Collective
KunKunNest $3.99 434 95% 13k $52k (exactly $51,950) JNTM, KunKunRoom, 鸡你太美
A.D. 2047 older $19.99 79 62% 2.4k $47k (exactly $47,376) Leenzee Games
Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open older $16.99 62 93% 1.9k $32k (exactly $31,601) Cellar Vault Games
With Eyes Closed - Season 2 $12.99 70 78% 2.1k $27k (exactly $27,279) Ker
Go To Sleep $6.99 34 82% 1.0k $7.1k (exactly $7,130) YuRo Games
15th Prison $3.99 28 92% 840 $3.4k (exactly $3,352) Zettanium
Impact to the Head $2.50 18 83% 540 $1.4k (exactly $1,350) W0nnaFight
Yellowcreek Stories - The Cabin Watcher $10.49 4 50% 120 $1.3k (exactly $1,259) Carlos Azuaga
King Quest $15.99 2 0% 60 $959 (exactly $959) slc studios
Let Her Go $7.99 4 100% 120 $959 (exactly $959) Krabbe Studios

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