Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches / Dark + Exploration
Dark + Exploration
Games tagged both Dark and Exploration: 337 indie paid launches, 21 of them earned $100k+ in their first year.
Showing Dark + Exploration priced $10 to $20. This filter changes the answer: at all prices the pair beats Dark and trails Exploration; priced $10 to $20 it is level with Dark and trails Exploration.
The pair's chance of a $100k+ first year beside each of its two tags, ranked like a high-score table, with typical earnings and the launches behind every figure.
Dark + Exploration is level with Dark and trails Exploration: 17.1 in 100 of its launches earned $100k+ priced $10 to $20, against 16.7 in 100 for Dark and 20.1 in 100 for Exploration.
That is about 0.9 times the 18.6 in 100 expected for any launch at this price.
Each circle is one tag, sized by its launches, and the gold overlap is exactly this pair. Click a part to read it. Price changes the odds more than genre does (under $5: 0.5 in 100 launches earned $100k+; $20 to $40: 42.4 in 100), so read it within a price band.
The overlap is this niche: the 35 games tagged both Dark and Exploration priced $10 to $20. 17.1 in 100 of them earned $100k+, against 16.5 for Dark-only games and 20.3 for Exploration-only games, so the mix beats Dark alone and trails Exploration alone.
Both: 35 games priced $10 to $20; 17.1 in 100 earned $100k+, typical first-year earnings $12,445.
Circle areas follow launch counts; the gold overlap is exactly the pair's 35 launches. The outer parts are each tag's launches minus the pair's, so their chance is exact; their typical earnings are not computed yet.
Who leads this pair and each of its tags. Free until launch: one click opens the card. The full comparables list (nearest hits by tag pair, price and launch year) is not computed yet, and the card says so.
Top earner, share of the moneyFree until launch
Lens checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.
Open free previewFree until launch: one click opens the card.
Nearest hits (similar games that earned $100k+, matched by tag pair, price and launch year): not computed yet.
Filters do not apply here yet. Leaders and shares are for all prices and the Standard view; per price band and per lens they are not computed yet.
The same figures with three kinds of games set aside: those with a mostly Chinese audience, the single biggest earner, and everything older than 18 months.
Dark + Exploration is changed recently: Last 18 months moves the answer by more than a quarter. It holds in 2 of 3.
| This pair | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view333 of 337 launches | Without the breakout336 of 337 launches | Last 18 months187 of 337 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 33721 hits | 33321 hits | 33620 hits | 1878 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 6.2 in 1001 in 16 | 6.3 in 1001 in 16 | 6.0 in 1001 in 17 | 4.3 in 1001 in 23 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $808top tenth $34,411+ | $808 | $808 | $485 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | +1.6%0.1 more in 100 | -3.2%0.2 fewer in 100 | -30.6%1.9 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | 0.0%no change | 0.0%no change | -40.0%$323 less |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Moves the answer |
Every indie paid launch tagged both Dark and Exploration, 6 to 30 months old: 337 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 4 of 337 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, INDIKA (26.3% of the money): 336 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 187 of 337.
Dark holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| Dark | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view1,414 of 1,445 launches | Without the breakout1,444 of 1,445 launches | Last 18 months785 of 1,445 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 1,44574 hits | 1,41472 hits | 1,44473 hits | 78534 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 5.1 in 1001 in 20 | 5.1 in 1001 in 20 | 5.1 in 1001 in 20 | 4.3 in 1001 in 23 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $849top tenth $28,119+ | $887 | $849 | $808 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | 0.0%no change | 0.0%no change | -15.7%0.8 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | +4.5%$38 more | 0.0%no change | -4.8%$41 less |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Dark, 6 to 30 months old: 1,445 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 31 of 1,445 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, Mouthwashing (11.5% of the money): 1,444 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 785 of 1,445.
Exploration holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| Exploration | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view4,867 of 5,078 launches | Without the breakout5,077 of 5,078 launches | Last 18 months2,727 of 5,078 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 5,078397 hits | 4,867377 hits | 5,077396 hits | 2,727190 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 7.8 in 1001 in 13 | 7.7 in 1001 in 13 | 7.8 in 1001 in 13 | 7.0 in 1001 in 14 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $908top tenth $58,608+ | $909 | $902 | $728 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -1.3%0.1 fewer in 100 | 0.0%no change | -10.3%0.8 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | +0.1%$1 more | -0.7%$6 less | -19.8%$180 less |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Exploration, 6 to 30 months old: 5,078 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 211 of 5,078 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, Hollow Knight: Silksong (20.7% of the money): 5,077 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 2,727 of 5,078.
A lens holds when chance and typical earnings both stay within 25% of standard. Lens figures by price band are not computed yet, so this table is for all prices.
Alerts when Dark + Exploration moves, comparables the day they land, and every lens for every pair and price. Free until launch.
Keep gold access after launch: alerts, comparables, every lens.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.