Games › 4 Player Local › 4 Player Local + Magic
Should I ship a Magic 4 Player Local game?
4 Player Local + Magic
Of 20 developers who shipped a Magic 4 Player Local game in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 45 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×3.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $18k, ×39 the market median. Revenue is up 140% on the market; 45 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) |
| Top 25% | $5.9k (exactly $5,920) |
| Top 5% | $18k (exactly $18,438) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 85 |
| Announced | 45 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 140% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- 4 Player Local
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Magic
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- 4 Player Local; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Local Multiplayer
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Family Friendly, Hand-drawn
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 264 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 45 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
4 Player Local with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Open WorldFair
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + SimulationFair
- + Immersive SimFair
- + CatsFair
- + RhythmFair
- + ManagementPoor odds
- + Football (Soccer)Poor odds
- + Beat 'em upPoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
- + TriviaPoor odds
- + MinigamesPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince | older | $29.99 | 11,712 88% | 351k | $11M (exactly $10,537,286) | Frozenbyte |
| | Magicka | older | $9.99 | 19,174 84% | 575k | $5.7M (exactly $5,746,448) | Arrowhead Game Studios |
| | Magicka 2 | older | $14.99 | 9,486 82% | 285k | $4.3M (exactly $4,265,854) | Pieces Interactive |
| | Chronicon | older | $13.99 | 8,822 94% | 265k | $3.7M (exactly $3,702,593) | Subworld |
| | Nine Parchments | older | $19.99 | 4,123 77% | 124k | $2.5M (exactly $2,472,563) | Frozenbyte |
| | Dokapon Kingdom: Connect | older | $49.99 | 801 86% | 24k | $1.2M (exactly $1,201,260) | Idea Factory, Compile Heart, Sting |
| | MageQuit | older | $14.99 | 1,032 94% | 31k | $464k (exactly $464,090) | Bowlcut Studios |
| | Innchanted | older | $19.99 | 117 84% | 3.5k | $70k (exactly $70,165) | DragonBear Studios |
| | Wand Wars | older | $11.99 | 183 96% | 5.5k | $66k (exactly $65,825) | Moonradish Inc. |
| | FAIRY TAIL: Beach Volleyball Havoc | older | $6.99 | 145 92% | 4.4k | $30k (exactly $30,406) | tiny cactus studio, MASUDATARO, veryOK |
| | The Amazing Crackpots Club! | $14.99 | 41 95% | 1.2k | $18k (exactly $18,438) | Astrobard Games, IguanaBee | |
| | King's Blade | $8.99 | 49 81% | 1.5k | $13k (exactly $13,215) | Alexey Suslin | |
| | Otherlights | · EA | $19.99 | 15 100% | 450 | $9.0k (exactly $8,996) | Soleil Artificiel |
| | MAGE: Mega Awesome Gregarious Encounters | $9.99 | 29 89% | 870 | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) | FunRug Studio | |
| | Wizard Pool | $2.99 | 66 84% | 2.0k | $5.9k (exactly $5,920) | Grouch, SuitNtie, Negative Karma | |
| | WIZARD PUNKS!!! | $6.99 | 23 95% | 690 | $4.8k (exactly $4,823) | EyeOfStormCat | |
| | Zone 6 | $11.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $3.6k (exactly $3,597) | Ullbors | |
| | 女神試煉 Quest of Goddess | $4.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | DNAXCAT CO., LTD. | |
| | The Hero of Destiny was killed by the final boss | $9.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $2.4k (exactly $2,398) | Sungrand | |
| | Boardquest: Tales of Liria | $11.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | Ramezware SL |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.