Do I ship it?

GamesVisual NovelVisual Novel + Supernatural

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Supernatural Visual Novel?

Visual Novel + Supernatural

Of 189 developers who shipped a Supernatural Visual Novel 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.. 284 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×5.7 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $330k, ×699 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 284 games are announced against 108 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 284 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Visual Novel + Supernatural
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 189
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.9k → $9.8k → $1.7k → $4.1k → $3.9k → $1.4k → $3.1k (still earning) → $2.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Visual Novel + Supernatural: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 189
Bottom 30% $716 (exactly $716)
Median $2.7k (exactly $2,728)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $13,323)
Top 5% $332k (exactly $332,234)
Developers, 2 yr 189
Released games 497
Announced 284
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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

Free games: 13%, 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.

Visual Novel
effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art
Supernatural
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Visual Novel; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Multiple Endings, Interactive Fiction
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 22,675 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $2.7k, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $330k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 111 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 284 games are announced against 108 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Visual Novel with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds166 devs · median $54k · 146 announced
  2. + City BuilderStrong odds10 devs · median $19k · 8 announced
  3. + MusicStrong odds27 devs · median $18k · 24 announced
  4. + TrainsStrong odds12 devs · median $8.0k · 5 announced
  5. + Souls-likeFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  6. + MinigamesFair20 devs · median $22k · 19 announced
  7. + RhythmFair38 devs · median $18k · 52 announced
  8. + JRPGFair219 devs · median $13k · 265 announced
  9. + Immersive SimFair399 devs · median $7.8k · 453 announced
  10. + SwordplayFair13 devs · median $5.7k · 10 announced
  11. + GamblingFair16 devs · median $5.7k · 12 announced
  12. + DiplomacyFair16 devs · median $5.4k · 19 announced

All 188 pairs on the Visual Novel page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Firework older $9.99 41,172 97% 1.2M $12M (exactly $12,339,248) Shiying Studio
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective older $29.99 6,429 97% 193k $5.8M (exactly $5,784,171) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Scarlet Hollow · EA older $29.99 4,833 97% 145k $4.3M (exactly $4,348,250) Black Tabby Games
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo older $19.99 6,123 95% 184k $3.7M (exactly $3,671,963) Square Enix
Urban Myth Dissolution Center $17.99 5,930 88% 178k $3.2M (exactly $3,200,421) Hakababunko
Tails Noir older $24.99 2,592 66% 78k $1.9M (exactly $1,943,222) Eggnut
Gal*Gun 2 older $29.99 2,094 83% 63k $1.9M (exactly $1,883,972) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
The Mermaid Mask $19.99 2,776 99% 83k $1.7M (exactly $1,664,767) SFB Games
PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse $24.99 2,169 95% 65k $1.6M (exactly $1,626,099) Square Enix
Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate $14.00 3,275 95% 98k $1.4M (exactly $1,375,500) Xso
The Dark Queen of Mortholme $4.99 4,075 83% 122k $610k (exactly $610,028) Mosu
Schrödinger's Call $17.99 1,124 94% 34k $607k (exactly $606,623) Acrobatic Chirimenjako
Shattered Minds · EA $12.99 1,507 91% 45k $587k (exactly $587,278) eXtasy Games
Foolish Mortals $19.99 663 94% 20k $398k (exactly $397,601) Inklingwood Studios
消失的航班,还有她她她!Lost in the secret! $19.99 602 89% 18k $361k (exactly $361,019) Humongous Pictures
The Posthumous Investigation $19.99 554 94% 17k $332k (exactly $332,234) Mother Gaia Studio

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