Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Cinematic + 3D: a typical launch earns $545 in its first year
That is the median of 95 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 12 of 180 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 10.5 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases fell 4% on the year before: 118 against 123.
- Price
- $545 median of 95 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −40.7% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 118 123 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 425 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 957 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.
| 3.04%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.17% to 6.42% | 33 ranked of 425 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #3,942 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.11xhits against expected | 0.78x to 1.61x | 180 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #2,148 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +53%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | +18% to +92% | 36 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #151 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | +9%review growth against same-age games | 0% to +20% | 36 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #377 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
- 180
- Hit rate
- 6.7%3.7% to 11.8%
- Expected rate
- 5.8%
- Against expected
- 1.11x0.78x to 1.61x
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
180 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
- $606
- Top tenth
- $22,123
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
- −4%
- Against Steam
- −29%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
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.
- Over The Top: WWI (opens the Steam store)2026 · 6,708 reviews, 84% positiveest. $2.6M
- METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2023 · 5,458 reviews, 89% positiveest. $2.2M
- Railroader (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,357 reviews, 96% positiveest. $2M
- MindsEye (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,864 reviews, 48% positiveest. $1.9M
- METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2023 · 4,367 reviews, 84% positiveest. $1.8M
- METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,580 reviews, 90% positiveest. $1.4M
- Call to Arms: Panzer Elite (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,002 reviews, 69% positiveest. $1.2M
- Hellboy Web of Wyrd (opens the Steam store)2023 · 684 reviews, 71% positiveest. $346k
More with Cinematic
pairs with Cinematic- Cinematic + Immersive Sim$24,23132 launches priced, 35 releases in 12 months
- Psychological Horror + Cinematic$5,00947 launches priced, 58 releases in 12 months
- Cinematic + Mystery$4,60234 launches priced, 41 releases in 12 months
- Cinematic + Interactive Fiction$4,18748 launches priced, 48 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Cinematic$4,03368 launches priced, 73 releases in 12 months
- Cinematic + Walking Simulator$3,57532 launches priced, 57 releases in 12 months
More with 3D
pairs with 3D- 3D + Dark Humor$3,90132 launches priced, 46 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Cozy$3,23738 launches priced, 91 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Economy$3,15761 launches priced, 109 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Management$2,196130 launches priced, 192 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + 3D$2,162144 launches priced, 256 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Resource Management$2,02434 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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