Do I ship it?

GamesMechanicsChoices Matter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Choices Matter game?

Choices Matter

Of 4,098 developers who shipped a Choices Matter 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.. 7,795 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $340k, ×729 the market median. Revenue is down 35% on the market; 7,795 games are announced against 2,588 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 35% on the market, 7,795 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Choices Matter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 4,098
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.1k → $4.8k → $3.9k → $3.2k → $3.6k → $2.3k → $1.3k (still earning) → $599 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Choices Matter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 4,098
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 25% $16k (exactly $15,588)
Top 5% $346k (exactly $346,343)
Developers, 2 yr 4,098
Released games 11,558
Announced 7,795
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 down 35% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Choices Matter
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
Choices Matter
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 642,606 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 $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $15k, 1 in 20 over $340k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 2,104 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 7,795 games are announced against 2,588 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Choices Matter

71 pairs with a settingwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Choices Matter + World War II Poor odds $1.3k 17 devs
  2. Choices Matter + Sci-fi Poor odds $1.2k 424 devs
  3. Choices Matter + Cyberpunk Poor odds $1.2k 146 devs
  4. Choices Matter + Noir Poor odds $1.2k 100 devs
  5. Choices Matter + Mythology Poor odds $1.2k 63 devs
  6. Choices Matter + Futuristic Poor odds $1.2k 202 devs
  7. Choices Matter + Zombies Poor odds $1.2k 67 devs
  8. Choices Matter + Hacking Poor odds $1.0k 38 devs
  9. Choices Matter + Dogs Poor odds $899 26 devs
  10. Choices Matter + Faith Poor odds $898 32 devs
  11. Choices Matter + Underground Poor odds $807 32 devs
  12. Choices Matter + Space Poor odds $719 184 devs
  13. Choices Matter + Cats Poor odds $719 61 devs
  14. Choices Matter + Robots Poor odds $719 54 devs
  15. Choices Matter + Nature Poor odds $718 131 devs
  16. Choices Matter + Aliens Poor odds $629 72 devs
  17. Choices Matter + Underwater Poor odds $600 20 devs
  18. Choices Matter + Mars Poor odds $564 13 devs
  19. Choices Matter + Snow Poor odds $299 18 devs
  20. Choices Matter + Dinosaurs Dead $1.6k 6 devs
  21. Choices Matter + Ninja Dead $719 9 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Baldur's Gate 3 older $59.99 755,010 96% 23M $1.4B (exactly $1,358,791,497) Larian Studios
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition older $49.99 823,357 96% 25M $1.2B (exactly $1,234,788,493) CD PROJEKT RED
Hogwarts Legacy older $59.99 274,801 89% 8.2M $495M (exactly $494,559,360) Avalanche Software
Assassin's Creed® Odyssey older $59.99 172,149 89% 5.2M $310M (exactly $309,816,555) Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubiso… (Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Kiev, Ubisoft Shanghai)
Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition older $59.99 164,914 79% 4.9M $297M (exactly $296,795,726) Techland
Detroit: Become Human older $39.99 226,411 96% 6.8M $272M (exactly $271,625,277) Quantic Dream
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II $59.99 144,558 93% 4.3M $260M (exactly $260,161,033) Warhorse Studios
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition older $44.99 180,782 95% 5.4M $244M (exactly $244,001,465) Larian Studios
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl $59.99 106,592 81% 3.2M $192M (exactly $191,833,622) GSC Game World
Dispatch $29.99 174,624 97% 5.2M $157M (exactly $157,109,213) AdHoc Studio
Dragon Age™: The Veilguard $59.99 41,393 67% 1.2M $74M (exactly $74,494,982) BioWare
Europa Universalis V $59.99 25,353 66% 761k $46M (exactly $45,627,794) Paradox Tinto
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon $44.99 33,560 87% 1.0M $45M (exactly $45,295,932) Questline
Mewgenics $29.99 49,996 89% 1.5M $45M (exactly $44,981,401) Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
The Blood of Dawnwalker $69.99 15,789 86% 474k $33M (exactly $33,152,163) Rebel Wolves
Frostpunk 2 $44.99 20,872 74% 626k $28M (exactly $28,170,938) 11 bit studios
Magical Girl Witch Trials $29.99 29,869 96% 896k $27M (exactly $26,873,139) Acacia, Re,AER

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