I think it's largely a business decision. You need to find a balance between really heard and appealing to more niche audience (resulting in a relatively high

I think it's largely a business decision. You need to find a balance between really heard and appealing to more niche audience (resulting in a relatively high game price). Some games like KSP went fairly mainstream, but they did a ton of work to be appealing to a wider audience, not only space enthusiasts. At the other end of the spectrum, you have easy games which appeal to larger, more casual audiences but like you've said are a bit shallow. In this regard, C:S hits a good balance.