Games › Strategy › Strategy + Thriller
Should I ship a Thriller Strategy game?
Strategy + Thriller
Of 116 developers who shipped a Thriller Strategy 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.. 170 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $810, ×1.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $180k, ×295 the market median. Revenue is up 230% on the market; 170 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $299 (exactly $299) |
|---|---|
| Median | $807 (exactly $807) |
| Top 25% | $2.7k (exactly $2,696) |
| Top 5% | $185k (exactly $185,165) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 116 |
| Released games | 271 |
| Announced | 170 |
| Effort | 5 / 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 230% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, 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
- Strategy; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Puzzle, RPG
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Atmospheric, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 12,174 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 67 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 170 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + BaseballFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + WuxiaFair
- + FarmingFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + SubmarineFair
- + NavalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + HackingFair
Comparable games
L.A. Noire 2011 · $19M 
Staffer Case: A Supernatural Mystery Adventure 2023 · $2.1M 
We. The Revolution 2019 · $1.2M 
Subliminal 2026 · $1.1M 
THE 4 SINS 2024 · $1.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | L.A. Noire | older | $19.99 | 31,099 85% | 933k | $19M (exactly $18,650,070) | Team Bondi, Rockstar Leeds |
| | Staffer Case: A Supernatural Mystery Adventure | older | $16.99 | 4,074 93% | 122k | $2.1M (exactly $2,076,518) | Team Tetrapod |
| | We. The Revolution | older | $19.99 | 1,997 73% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,197,601) | Polyslash |
| | Subliminal | $9.99 | 3,535 74% | 106k | $1.1M (exactly $1,059,440) | Accidental Studios | |
| | THE 4 SINS | older | $9.99 | 3,377 23% | 101k | $1.0M (exactly $1,012,087) | 奇门互娱 |
 | Don't Escape: 4 Days to Survive | older | $14.99 | 2,184 98% | 66k | $982k (exactly $982,145) | scriptwelder |
 | SubZero | $9.99 | 2,719 92% | 82k | $815k (exactly $814,884) | Joy Media Limited | |
 | Out Of Hands | $17.99 | 1,322 93% | 40k | $713k (exactly $713,483) | Game River | |
 | Gods Will Be Watching | older | $9.99 | 2,233 71% | 67k | $669k (exactly $669,230) | Deconstructeam |
 | Shadow Corridor 2 雨ノ四葩 | older | $18.99 | 853 87% | 26k | $486k (exactly $485,954) | Space Onigiri Game LLC |
 | Evil School | $7.99 | 1,058 92% | 32k | $254k (exactly $253,603) | CineGame Interactive | |
 | Asbury Pines | · EA | $12.99 | 558 90% | 17k | $217k (exactly $217,453) | Chaystar Unlimited LLC |
 | Killed by Love 99 Times | $12.99 | 533 95% | 16k | $208k (exactly $207,710) | CineGame Interactive | |
 | They Killed Your Cat | $6.99 | 883 75% | 26k | $185k (exactly $185,165) | Vekaria | |
 | The Joker's Game | $11.99 | 486 82% | 15k | $175k (exactly $174,814) | All In Game Co., Limited | |
 | SIDE EFFECTS | $4.99 | 858 83% | 26k | $128k (exactly $128,443) | hirohun, Mr.Pootsley, Jaybooty, Lofar42 | |
 | Exorcism Agency | $12.99 | 222 91% | 6.7k | $87k (exactly $86,513) | YINGGUO GAME |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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