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 / Exploration + Strategy
Exploration + Strategy
Games tagged both Exploration and Strategy: 467 indie paid launches, 27 of them earned $100k+ in their first year.
Showing Exploration + Strategy priced $10 to $20, last 18 months, hiding samples under 30 launches. Lens figures exist at all prices only, so inside a price band the page shows the standard figures. This filter changes the answer: at all prices the pair trails Exploration and is level with Strategy; priced $10 to $20 it trails Exploration and beats Strategy.
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.
Exploration + Strategy trails Exploration and beats Strategy: 17.7 in 100 of its launches earned $100k+ priced $10 to $20, against 20.1 in 100 for Exploration and 16.5 in 100 for Strategy.
That is about 1.0 times the 18.6 in 100 expected for any launch at this price. Lens figures by price band are not computed yet, so this band uses the standard figures.
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 96 games tagged both Exploration and Strategy priced $10 to $20. 17.7 in 100 of them earned $100k+, against 20.4 for Exploration-only games and 16.3 for Strategy-only games, so the mix trails Exploration alone and beats Strategy alone.
Both: 96 games priced $10 to $20; 17.7 in 100 earned $100k+, typical first-year earnings $8,096.
Circle areas follow launch counts; the gold overlap is exactly the pair's 96 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. The last 18 months lens is not computed for the outer parts, so this diagram uses the standard figures.
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 checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.
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.
Exploration + Strategy holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| This pair | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view427 of 467 launches | Without the breakout466 of 467 launches | Last 18 months266 of 467 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 46727 hits | 42724 hits | 46626 hits | 26612 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 5.8 in 1001 in 17 | 5.6 in 1001 in 18 | 5.6 in 1001 in 18 | 4.5 in 1001 in 22 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $505top tenth $42,614+ | $505 | $505 | $605 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -3.4%0.2 fewer in 100 | -3.4%0.2 fewer in 100 | -22.4%1.3 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | 0.0%no change | 0.0%no change | +19.8%$100 more |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged both Exploration and Strategy, 6 to 30 months old: 467 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 40 of 467 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, The Alters (42.8% of the money): 466 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 266 of 467.
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.
Strategy holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| Strategy | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view4,988 of 5,391 launches | Without the breakout5,390 of 5,391 launches | Last 18 months3,128 of 5,391 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 5,391337 hits | 4,988308 hits | 5,390336 hits | 3,128178 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 6.3 in 1001 in 16 | 6.2 in 1001 in 16 | 6.2 in 1001 in 16 | 5.7 in 1001 in 18 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $505top tenth $44,532+ | $545 | $505 | $505 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -1.6%0.1 fewer in 100 | -1.6%0.1 fewer in 100 | -9.5%0.6 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | +7.9%$40 more | 0.0%no change | 0.0%no change |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Strategy, 6 to 30 months old: 5,391 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 403 of 5,391 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, Slay the Spire 2 (17.1% of the money): 5,390 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 3,128 of 5,391.
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 Exploration + Strategy 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.
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