|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +name: steam-market-research |
| 3 | +description: Genre trend analysis, tag popularity, competitor identification, and market gap analysis using Steam store data. Use when evaluating a game concept's market fit, scouting competitors, or analyzing genre saturation. |
| 4 | +--- |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +# Steam Market Research |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +## Trigger |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +Use this skill when the user: |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +- Wants to analyze a genre or tag's popularity on Steam |
| 13 | +- Needs to identify competitors for a game concept |
| 14 | +- Asks about market gaps or underserved niches |
| 15 | +- Wants to evaluate a game idea's viability |
| 16 | +- Needs data on release volume, review benchmarks, or pricing tiers within a genre |
| 17 | +- Asks "what's selling well" in a category |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +## Required Inputs |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +- **Genre, tag, or game concept** - the market segment to research |
| 22 | +- **Comparison scope** (optional) - number of competitors, time period, price range |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +## Workflow |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +> **Preferred:** If the [Steam MCP server](https://github.com/TMHSDigital/steam-mcp) is available, use MCP tools. See [MCP Usage](#mcp-usage). |
| 27 | +
|
| 28 | +### 1. Define the Market Segment |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +Clarify the scope with the user: |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +- **Genre tags**: roguelike, metroidvania, city-builder, souls-like, etc. |
| 33 | +- **Theme tags**: pixel-art, cozy, horror, sci-fi |
| 34 | +- **Mechanics tags**: deck-building, turn-based, co-op, open-world |
| 35 | +- **Intersection**: e.g., "roguelike deck-builder" or "cozy farming sim" |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +### 2. Search for Competitors |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +```bash |
| 40 | +# Search by genre/tag keywords |
| 41 | +curl.exe "https://store.steampowered.com/api/storesearch/?term={genre_keyword}&l=english&cc=us" |
| 42 | +``` |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +For broader market data, use the Steam search page with tag filtering: |
| 45 | +- `https://store.steampowered.com/search/?tags={tag_id}&sort_by=Reviews_DESC` |
| 46 | +- Common tag IDs: Roguelike (1716), Metroidvania (9551), City Builder (1643), Souls-like (29482) |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +### 3. Gather Competitor Data |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +For each top competitor (aim for 8-15 games), fetch details: |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +```bash |
| 53 | +curl.exe "https://store.steampowered.com/api/appdetails?appids={appid}" |
| 54 | +``` |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +Collect per game: |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +| Field | Source | |
| 59 | +|-------|--------| |
| 60 | +| Name, release date | `appdetails` | |
| 61 | +| Price | `appdetails → price_overview` | |
| 62 | +| Review count & score | `appdetails → recommendations` | |
| 63 | +| Tags/genres | `appdetails → genres`, `categories` | |
| 64 | +| Current players | `GetNumberOfCurrentPlayers` | |
| 65 | +| Developer/publisher | `appdetails → developers` | |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +### 4. Analyze the Market |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +Present findings in these categories: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +**Market Size & Health** |
| 72 | +- Total games in segment (estimate from search results) |
| 73 | +- Distribution of review scores (what % are Positive or better?) |
| 74 | +- Median review count (proxy for visibility/sales) |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +**Pricing Landscape** |
| 77 | +- Price distribution: Free, <$10, $10-20, $20-30, $30+ |
| 78 | +- Median price for the genre |
| 79 | +- Correlation between price and review score |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +**Competitive Density** |
| 82 | +- Release frequency: how many new games in this segment per month? |
| 83 | +- Market leaders: top 5 by review count |
| 84 | +- Recent successes: top 5 from last 12 months |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +**Market Gaps** |
| 87 | +- Tag combinations with few entries but strong performers |
| 88 | +- Underserved platforms (Linux, Steam Deck) |
| 89 | +- Missing features common in adjacent genres |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +### 5. Format Output |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +> **Market Research: Roguelike Deck-Builders** |
| 94 | +> |
| 95 | +> **Segment size:** ~85 games tagged roguelike + deck-building |
| 96 | +> **Market leaders:** |
| 97 | +> |
| 98 | +> | Game | Reviews | Score | Price | Players | |
| 99 | +> |------|---------|-------|-------|---------| |
| 100 | +> | Slay the Spire | 142K | 97% | $24.99 | 8,200 | |
| 101 | +> | Monster Train | 18K | 92% | $24.99 | 1,100 | |
| 102 | +> | Inscryption | 65K | 96% | $19.99 | 2,400 | |
| 103 | +> | Balatro | 98K | 97% | $14.99 | 12,000 | |
| 104 | +> |
| 105 | +> **Pricing:** Median $14.99, range $4.99-$24.99 |
| 106 | +> **Gap opportunities:** roguelike deck-builder with co-op (only 3 exist), horror-themed deck-builder (1 exists) |
| 107 | +> **Risk:** High competitive density, strong incumbents. Differentiation is critical. |
| 108 | +
|
| 109 | +### 6. Viability Assessment |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +Score the market opportunity: |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +| Factor | Weight | Score (1-5) | |
| 114 | +|--------|--------|-------------| |
| 115 | +| Market demand (search volume, wishlist signals) | 25% | — | |
| 116 | +| Competitive density | 25% | — | |
| 117 | +| Differentiation potential | 20% | — | |
| 118 | +| Price ceiling | 15% | — | |
| 119 | +| Audience crossover potential | 15% | — | |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +Provide an overall recommendation: **Strong**, **Moderate**, **Cautious**, or **Avoid**. |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +## Key References |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +| Resource | URL | |
| 126 | +|----------|-----| |
| 127 | +| Steamworks Tags | https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/tags | |
| 128 | +| Steam Search API | https://store.steampowered.com/search/ | |
| 129 | +| Steam Spy (estimates) | https://steamspy.com/ | |
| 130 | +| Game Discover Co | https://gamediscover.co/ | |
| 131 | +| VG Insights | https://vginsights.com/ | |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +## Example Interaction |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +**User:** "I'm thinking about making a cozy farming sim. Is the market too saturated?" |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +**Agent:** |
| 138 | +1. Identifies key tags: farming simulation, cozy, life sim |
| 139 | +2. Searches Steam for games with those tags |
| 140 | +3. Fetches details for top 15 results |
| 141 | +4. Analyzes: 120+ farming sims, but only ~15 with >5K reviews |
| 142 | +5. Notes Stardew Valley dominance (500K+ reviews) but also recent successes (Sun Haven, Coral Island) |
| 143 | +6. Identifies gaps: farming + crafting automation, farming + mystery/detective |
| 144 | +7. Verdict: "Moderate opportunity. Market is large but well-served. Strong differentiation or unique hook required. Price ceiling $24.99." |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +## MCP Usage |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +| Step | MCP Tool | Auth | Replaces | |
| 149 | +|------|----------|------|----------| |
| 150 | +| Search for games | `steam.searchApps({ term })` | None | `curl` to `storesearch` | |
| 151 | +| Get game details | `steam.getAppDetails({ appid })` | None | `curl` to `appdetails` | |
| 152 | +| Player counts | `steam.getPlayerCount({ appid })` | None | `curl` to `GetNumberOfCurrentPlayers` | |
| 153 | + |
| 154 | +All required MCP tools are already available. No new MCP tools needed for this skill. |
| 155 | + |
| 156 | +## See Also |
| 157 | + |
| 158 | +- [Steam Store Lookup](../steam-store-lookup/SKILL.md) - resolve names and get store data |
| 159 | +- [Steam Price History](../steam-price-history/SKILL.md) - pricing analysis for competitors |
| 160 | +- [Steam Game Comparison](../steam-game-comparison/SKILL.md) - detailed side-by-side competitor comparison |
| 161 | +- [Steam Wishlist Estimates](../steam-wishlist-estimates/SKILL.md) - estimate demand from public signals |
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