Should I ship a Thriller game?
Thriller
Of 1,495 developers who shipped a Thriller 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.. 2,212 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.4k, ×3.0 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $190k, ×412 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 2,212 games are announced against 876 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,439) |
| Top 25% | $9.4k (exactly $9,436) |
| Top 5% | $196k (exactly $195,502) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 1,495 |
| Released games | 3,604 |
| Announced | 2,212 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 flat on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Thriller
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 256,937 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 833 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 2,212 games are announced against 876 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
All pairs with Thriller
- Procedural Generation + Thriller Poor odds $839
- Combat + Thriller Poor odds $838
- Survival + Thriller Poor odds $807
- Strategy + Thriller Poor odds $807
- PvE + Thriller Poor odds $779
- Roguelite + Thriller Poor odds $748
- Roguelike + Thriller Poor odds $719
- Tactical + Thriller Poor odds $718
- Incremental + Thriller Poor odds $718
- Action Roguelike + Thriller Poor odds $718
- Turn-Based Tactics + Thriller Poor odds $683
- Time Manipulation + Thriller Poor odds $628
- 2D Platformer + Thriller Poor odds $600
- Open World + Thriller Poor odds $599
- CRPG + Thriller Poor odds $599
- PvP + Thriller Poor odds $539
- Quick-Time Events + Thriller Poor odds $538
- Bullet Hell + Thriller Poor odds $505
- Strategy RPG + Thriller Dead $12k
- JRPG + Thriller Dead $1.9k
- Collectathon + Thriller Dead $449
- Building + Thriller Dead $449
- Hunting + Thriller Dead $449
- Top-Down Shooter + Thriller Dead $359
- Perma Death + Thriller Dead $358
- Runner + Thriller Dead $299
- Shoot 'Em Up + Thriller Dead $299
Comparable games
Phasmophobia 2020 · EA · $410M 
The Last of Us™ Part I 2023 · $117M 
Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach 2021 · $78M 
Firewatch 2016 · $56M 
MiSide 2024 · $55M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Phasmophobia | · EA older | $19.99 | 684,009 94% | 21M | $410M (exactly $410,200,197) | Kinetic Games |
| | The Last of Us™ Part I | older | $59.99 | 65,259 85% | 2.0M | $117M (exactly $117,446,622) | Naughty Dog LLC, Iron Galaxy Studios |
| | Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach | older | $39.99 | 65,350 86% | 2.0M | $78M (exactly $78,400,395) | Steel Wool Studios |
| | Firewatch | older | $19.99 | 93,690 90% | 2.8M | $56M (exactly $56,185,893) | Campo Santo |
| | MiSide | $14.99 | 122,007 97% | 3.7M | $55M (exactly $54,866,548) | AIHASTO | |
 | The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered | $49.99 | 34,252 90% | 1.0M | $51M (exactly $51,367,724) | Naughty Dog LLC, Nixxes Software, Iron… (Naughty Dog LLC, Nixxes Software, Iron Galaxy Studios) | |
 | Little Nightmares II | older | $29.99 | 50,280 92% | 1.5M | $45M (exactly $45,236,916) | Tarsier Studios |
 | A Plague Tale: Requiem | older | $49.99 | 20,797 90% | 624k | $31M (exactly $31,189,261) | Asobo Studio |
 | The Quarry | older | $59.99 | 16,127 83% | 484k | $29M (exactly $29,023,762) | Supermassive Games |
 | STEINS;GATE | older | $29.99 | 25,289 97% | 759k | $23M (exactly $22,752,513) | MAGES. Inc. |
 | Mouthwashing | $12.99 | 34,353 95% | 1.0M | $13M (exactly $13,387,364) | Wrong Organ | |
 | Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic | $39.99 | 10,874 86% | 326k | $13M (exactly $13,045,538) | Steel Wool Studios | |
 | No, I'm not a Human | $14.99 | 27,222 93% | 817k | $12M (exactly $12,241,733) | Trioskaz | |
 | The Killing Antidote | · EA | $29.99 | 7,512 88% | 225k | $6.8M (exactly $6,758,546) | MetalStar Studio |
 | ROUTINE | $24.99 | 7,322 91% | 220k | $5.5M (exactly $5,489,303) | Lunar Software | |
 | FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE | $49.99 | 2,663 87% | 80k | $4.0M (exactly $3,993,701) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies | $39.99 | 2,911 83% | 87k | $3.5M (exactly $3,492,327) | ZA/UM | |
 | Homicipher | $13.99 | 7,821 96% | 235k | $3.3M (exactly $3,282,474) | 八名木Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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