Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Choices Matter / Nonlinear
Choices Matter + Nonlinear: 24 releases in the last 12 months
There is no price yet: it needs 30 or more indie paid launches in the last four complete quarters. 5 of 35 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 3.0 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 14% on the year before: 24 against 21.
- Price
- n/a under 30 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- n/a no price
- Releases, 12 months
- 24 21 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 123 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 226 carrying both tags
Boards
as of 30 Sep 2026Where this pair stands on each board of the front page. Every value carries its 90% interval and its sample.
| Board | Value | Interval | Sample | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most anticipatedShare of all upcoming wishlist heat on Steam, with the number of upcoming games beside it. | 0.07%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.05% to 0.10% | 18 ranked of 123 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #2,138 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.34xhits against expected | 0.92x to 2.06x | 35 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,194 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 20 or more releases in each 12-month period. | |||
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 1,000 reviews in each window. | |||
Pairs are noisier than genres: the demand boards at pair level are indicative only.
Launch success
launches 6 to 30 months oldMatured indie paid launches that earned an estimated $100k or more, against the number expected for games at the same price tier and launch quarter.
- Launches
- 35
- Hit rate
- 14.3%6.5% to 22.6%
- Expected rate
- 8.5%
- Against expected
- 1.34x0.92x to 2.06x
Launch window: indie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old). Hit odds are shrunk toward the Steam-wide rate by 3 expected hits.
Revenue spread
35 launchesEstimated lifetime gross of the same matured launches. Half earned less than the median; one in ten earned more than the top figure.
- Bottom tenth
- $322
- Median
- $2,003
- Top tenth
- $199,491
Estimated from Steam review counts. Lifetime to date, so it differs from the first-year price above.
Supply
raw release countsGames released with both tags, last 12 months against the 12 before.
- Change
- +14%
Parent tags
- Choices MatterNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- NonlinearNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
Comparable games
8 indie titlesThe biggest indie games in this pair by estimated lifetime gross. Revenue is shown as a number at 50 or more reviews, as a range at 10 to 49, and not at all below 10.
- Esoteric Ebb (opens the Steam store)2026 · 8,843 reviews, 95% positiveest. $4.4M
- Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days (opens the Steam store)2025 · 9,126 reviews, 89% positiveest. $4.2M
- Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy (opens the Steam store)2024 · 796 reviews, 75% positiveest. $403k
- The RPG (opens the Steam store)2025 · 806 reviews, 86% positiveest. $245k
- Mesmalie (opens the Steam store)2026 · 1,201 reviews, 99% positiveest. $219k
- FOUNTAINS (opens the Steam store)2024 · 434 reviews, 85% positiveest. $132k
- AMEDAMA (opens the Steam store)2024 · 91 reviews, 84% positiveest. $46k
- Ceiba (opens the Steam store)2023 · 259 reviews, 94% positiveest. $37k
More with Choices Matter
pairs with Choices Matter- Choices Matter + Management$6,87135 launches priced, 79 releases in 12 months
- Mystery + Choices Matter$6,00949 launches priced, 114 releases in 12 months
- Choices Matter + Dating Sim$4,06442 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
- RPG + Choices Matter$3,339128 launches priced, 212 releases in 12 months
- Character Customization + Choices Matter$3,15735 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Choices Matter$3,038225 launches priced, 352 releases in 12 months
More with Nonlinear
pairs with Nonlinear- Exploration + Nonlinear$2,37350 launches priced, 77 releases in 12 months
- Adventure + Nonlinear$2,00337 launches priced, 69 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Nonlinear$86040 launches priced, 44 releases in 12 months
- Puzzle + Nonlinear$44534 launches priced, 39 releases in 12 months
- Action + Nonlinearno price40 releases in 12 months
- Casual + Nonlinearno price38 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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