Games › Resource Management › Resource Management + Thriller
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.
| 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.
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
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
Resource Management with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + DwarvesFair
- + WesternFair
- + SnowFair
- + JRPGFair
- + UnderwaterFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + HorsesFair
- + Quick-Time EventsFair
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.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.