Should I ship a Jump-Scare game?
Jump Scare
Of 86 developers who shipped a Jump-Scare 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.. 98 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×4.7 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $72k, ×153 the market median. Revenue is up 65% on the market; 98 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.2k (exactly $2,242) |
| Top 25% | $10k (exactly $10,066) |
| Top 5% | $73k (exactly $72,629) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 86 |
| Released games | 185 |
| Announced | 98 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 65% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Jump Scare
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 68% positive over 10,152 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 8 in 10 of the 55 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 98 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
All pairs with Jump Scare
No pair with Jump Scare has 25 games yet.
Comparable games
Five Nights at Freddy's 2014 · $8.0M 
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 2023 · $6.1M 
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 2014 · $5.7M 
Slender: The Arrival 2013 · $4.7M 
F.E.A.R. 2010 · $4.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Five Nights at Freddy's | older | $4.99 | 53,607 94% | 1.6M | $8.0M (exactly $8,024,968) | Scott Cawthon |
| | Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 | older | $39.99 | 5,092 94% | 153k | $6.1M (exactly $6,108,872) | Steel Wool Studios |
| | Five Nights at Freddy's 2 | older | $7.99 | 23,871 93% | 716k | $5.7M (exactly $5,721,879) | Scott Cawthon |
| | Slender: The Arrival | older | $19.99 | 7,912 88% | 237k | $4.7M (exactly $4,744,826) | Blue Isle Studios |
| | F.E.A.R. | older | $9.99 | 14,017 93% | 421k | $4.2M (exactly $4,200,895) | Monolith Productions, Inc., Timegate |
 | Five Nights at Freddy's 4 | older | $7.99 | 15,483 93% | 464k | $3.7M (exactly $3,711,275) | Scott Cawthon |
 | F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin | older | $14.99 | 5,640 83% | 169k | $2.5M (exactly $2,536,308) | Monolith |
 | Five Nights at Freddy's 3 | older | $7.99 | 10,388 90% | 312k | $2.5M (exactly $2,490,004) | Scott Cawthon |
 | Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion: HD Renovation | older | $9.99 | 3,723 96% | 112k | $1.1M (exactly $1,115,783) | Albino Moose Games |
 | DON'T SCREAM | $7.99 | 4,505 65% | 135k | $1.1M (exactly $1,079,848) | Digital Cybercherries | |
 | DON'T SCREAM TOGETHER | $7.99 | 2,314 49% | 69k | $555k (exactly $554,666) | Digital Cybercherries | |
 | PIT OF GOBLIN | · EA | $5.99 | 915 84% | 27k | $164k (exactly $164,426) | Friendly Foe |
 | Wasteland Bites | $9.99 | 440 93% | 13k | $132k (exactly $131,868) | CosmicDev | |
 | We Escaped a Twisted Game | $4.99 | 792 94% | 24k | $119k (exactly $118,562) | Deluded Games | |
 | 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 | |
 | Silent Still 2 | $4.99 | 357 67% | 11k | $53k (exactly $53,443) | SolitaryStudios | |
 | Para Eyes | $9.99 | 133 95% | 4.0k | $40k (exactly $39,860) | Shawno Studios | |
 | Damned 2 | · EA | $13.99 | 92 84% | 2.8k | $39k (exactly $38,612) | 9heads Game Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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