Do I ship it?

GamesResource ManagementResource Management + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller Resource Management game?

Resource Management + Thriller

Of 28 developers who shipped a Thriller Resource Management 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.. 77 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.3k, ×4.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×300 the market median. Revenue is down 20% on the market; 77 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 77 announced, ×4.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Resource Management + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.5k → $719 → $4.7k → $807 → $2.4k → $987 (still earning) → $2.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Resource Management + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $2.3k (exactly $2,336)
Top 25% $42k (exactly $41,822)
Top 5% $142k (exactly $142,382)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 49
Announced 77
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 20% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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.

Resource Management
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
Resource Management; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 2,553 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $2.3k, 1 in 4 over $41k, 1 in 20 over $140k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 77 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Artificial IntelligenceFair102 devs · median $11k · 131 announced
  2. + DwarvesFair15 devs · median $11k · 24 announced
  3. + WesternFair19 devs · median $7.0k · 26 announced
  4. + SnowFair24 devs · median $3.8k · 36 announced
  5. + JRPGFair36 devs · median $2.7k · 27 announced
  6. + UnderwaterFair51 devs · median $2.3k · 74 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair167 devs · median $1.9k · 222 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair630 devs · median $1.8k · 1,025 announced
  9. + IdlerFair656 devs · median $1.6k · 979 announced
  10. + ArcadeFair322 devs · median $1.5k · 495 announced
  11. + HorsesFair11 devs · median $1.2k · 18 announced
  12. + Quick-Time EventsFair46 devs · median $719 · 55 announced

All 214 pairs on the Resource Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Gods Will Be Watching older $9.99 2,233 71% 67k $669k (exactly $669,230) Deconstructeam
Asbury Pines · EA $12.99 558 90% 17k $217k (exactly $217,453) Chaystar Unlimited LLC
Tostchu $7.99 594 84% 18k $142k (exactly $142,382) Ravenscape Collective
Tornado: Research and Rescue · EA older $12.99 356 85% 11k $139k (exactly $138,733) Sam Kennedy
The Unholy Priest $9.99 370 72% 11k $111k (exactly $110,889) Grejuva
Dismantling Workshop of Bio-Girl $29.99 120 61% 3.6k $108k (exactly $107,964) 渡里laboratory
Angel Engine $7.99 303 80% 9.1k $73k (exactly $72,629) HMS Studios, Black Lantern Collective
CROWDED. FOLLOWED. $5.99 301 92% 9.0k $54k (exactly $54,090) NIGHT DIAL
LAN Party Adventures $14.99 93 89% 2.8k $42k (exactly $41,822) LEAP Game Studios
中国战疫 older $16.99 64 76% 1.9k $33k (exactly $32,621) 不吃蛋黄
Dreadway $6.99 101 67% 3.0k $21k (exactly $21,180) ZweiBier Indie
Animaly Bar: NO HUMANITY! $4.99 98 90% 2.9k $15k (exactly $14,671) Domnaier
The Living Shadows $17.99 15 53% 450 $8.1k (exactly $8,095) Chilling Designs

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