Do I ship it?

Games4X4X + Sports

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Sports 4X?

4X + Sports

Only 1 developer shipped a Sports 4X in the last 2 years. Over all years on record, 5 did: 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 more is announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

Only 1 developer shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $44k against a market of $1.5k. 1 game is announced.

Deciding numbers: median 29.1 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 1 announced, ×1.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
4X + Sports
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, all n = 5

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for 4X + Sports: Plate 1 · outcomes, all, n = 5
Bottom 30% $891 (exactly $891)
Median $2.2k (exactly $2,157)
Top 25% $44k (exactly $43,524)
Top 5% $413k (exactly $412,697)
Developers, all 5
Released games 30
Announced 1
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $7.99

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: too few recent games to read.

Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

4X
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Sports
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
4X, Sports
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 5 games average 71% positive over 509 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes over all years on record by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $2.2k, 1 in 4 over $43k, 1 in 20 over $410k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 1 game is announced against 1 developer who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

4X with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + CombatFair32 devs · median $3.8k · 48 announced
  2. + Colony SimPoor odds23 devs · median $314k · 77 announced
  3. + Turn-BasedPoor odds16 devs · median $193k · 26 announced
  4. + SandboxPoor odds36 devs · median $193k · 76 announced
  5. + DiplomacyPoor odds29 devs · median $86k · 79 announced
  6. + SurvivalPoor odds21 devs · median $72k · 40 announced
  7. + HistoricalPoor odds49 devs · median $61k · 75 announced
  8. + Alternate HistoryPoor odds21 devs · median $61k · 36 announced
  9. + RPGPoor odds26 devs · median $54k · 56 announced
  10. + BuildingPoor odds52 devs · median $34k · 112 announced
  11. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds8 devs · median $34k · 21 announced
  12. + Strategy RPGPoor odds15 devs · median $31k · 33 announced

All 63 pairs on the 4X page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Pro Cycling Manager 2021 $39.99 344 77% 10k $413k (exactly $412,697) Cyanide Studio
FD 27: Direct Your Football Club · EA $11.99 121 56% 3.6k $44k (exactly $43,524) Syra Games
OFFROAD VR $7.99 9 33% 270 $2.2k (exactly $2,157) İNİTİUM STUDİO
Racing Outlaws $0.99 30 73% 900 $891 (exactly $891) Enaayah Software Development and Servic… (Enaayah Software Development and Services Private Limited)
Universal Truck Simulator Tow Games $1.99 5 60% 150 $298 (exactly $298) WinGameStudio

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.