Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Pixel Graphics / Interactive Fiction
Pixel Graphics + Interactive Fiction: a typical launch earns $404 in its first year
That is the median of 58 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 6 of 111 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 3.4 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 3% on the year before: 80 against 78.
- Price
- $404 median of 58 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −66.7% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 80 78 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 204 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 545 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. | 0.09%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.06% to 0.12% | 21 ranked of 204 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #1,825 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.42xhits against expected | 0.97x to 2.24x | 111 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #943 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +30%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −2% to +74% | 39 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #507 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | −2%review growth against same-age games | −11% to +5% | 39 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #900 of 2,461pairs on this board |
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
- 111
- Hit rate
- 5.4%1.7% to 8.9%
- Expected rate
- 3.0%
- Against expected
- 1.42x0.97x to 2.24x
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
111 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
- $0
- Median
- $607
- Top tenth
- $14,579
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
- +3%
- Against Steam
- −24%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Pixel GraphicsNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- Interactive FictionGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best 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.
- Until Then (opens the Steam store)2024 · 15,814 reviews, 96% positiveest. $6.2M
- No Case Should Remain Unsolved (opens the Steam store)2024 · 10,382 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.3M
- Kindergarten 3 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,783 reviews, 94% positiveest. $722k
- 月华辉映之刻 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 4,238 reviews, 89% positiveest. $574k
- Refind Self: The Personality Test Game (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,604 reviews, 87% positiveest. $549k
- Old Skies (opens the Steam store)2025 · 972 reviews, 92% positiveest. $393k
- Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved (opens the Steam store)2025 · 435 reviews, 94% positiveest. $176k
- Hymer 2000 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,034 reviews, 89% positiveest. $104k
More with Pixel Graphics
pairs with Pixel Graphics- Pixel Graphics + Tactical RPG$3,27132 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Metroidvania + Pixel Graphics$2,73164 launches priced, 75 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Turn-Based Combat$2,18391 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Collectathon$1,85847 launches priced, 78 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Pixel Graphics$1,849182 launches priced, 221 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Female Protagonist$1,69299 launches priced, 140 releases in 12 months
More with Interactive Fiction
pairs with Interactive Fiction- Interactive Fiction + FMV$39,86745 launches priced, 64 releases in 12 months
- Cinematic + Interactive Fiction$4,18748 launches priced, 48 releases in 12 months
- Interactive Fiction + LGBTQ+$4,04637 launches priced, 62 releases in 12 months
- Dating Sim + Interactive Fiction$3,15892 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Romance + Interactive Fiction$3,13063 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Interactive Fiction$2,268207 launches priced, 343 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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