Games › Action › Action + Sokoban
Should I ship a Sokoban Action game?
Action + Sokoban
Of 28 developers who shipped a Sokoban Action 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.. 40 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $510, ×0.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $4.5k, ×7.3 the market median. Revenue is up 150% on the market; 40 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $90 (exactly $90) |
|---|---|
| Median | $505 (exactly $505) |
| Top 25% | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) |
| Top 5% | $4.6k (exactly $4,554) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 28 |
| Released games | 99 |
| Announced | 40 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 150% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Action, Sokoban; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, 2D Platformer, Adventure
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Retro
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 93% positive over 152 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $90. All of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 40 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Real-Time with PauseFair
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + PinballFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + BaseballFair
- + BilliardsFair
- + IdlerFair
- + TennisFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + TabletopFair
- + WuxiaPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ittle Dew | older | $19.99 | 481 92% | 14k | $288k (exactly $288,456) | Ludosity |
| | Backrooms Cats and Lava | older | $29.99 | 105 79% | 3.2k | $94k (exactly $94,468) | Galactic Geckon |
| | Larcin Lazer | older | $9.99 | 241 99% | 7.2k | $72k (exactly $72,228) | Tambouille, Géraud Zucchini |
| | Temple Of Snek | older | $14.99 | 102 90% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $45,869) | Aetheric Games |
| | Chuck's Challenge 3D 2020 | older | $9.99 | 147 81% | 4.4k | $44k (exactly $44,056) | Niffler Ltd. |
| | Mess Adventures | older | $2.99 | 454 81% | 14k | $41k (exactly $40,724) | Marvelous Games |
| | Waifu Secret | older | $1.99 | 677 72% | 20k | $40k (exactly $40,417) | Romantic Room |
| | Button Button Up! | older | $11.99 | 93 96% | 2.8k | $33k (exactly $33,452) | Centrosphere Games |
| | Soulless: Ray Of Hope | older | $4.99 | 208 71% | 6.2k | $31k (exactly $31,138) | · |
| | Invercity | older | $14.99 | 39 94% | 1.2k | $18k (exactly $17,538) | Marudice |
| | CorgiSpace | $4.99 | 62 96% | 1.9k | $9.3k (exactly $9,281) | Adam Saltsman | |
| | Bacterian | · EA | $7.99 | 19 100% | 570 | $4.6k (exactly $4,554) | Error 300 |
| | Crash Puzzle Hammer-San | $9.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | SUCCESS Corp. | |
| | Super Miners | · EA | $9.99 | 13 92% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | METAGAR |
| | One more gem | $15.99 | 7 100% | 210 | $3.4k (exactly $3,358) | Cosmin Munteanu | |
| | Watermelon (with a Broken Head) Game | $2.99 | 21 80% | 630 | $1.9k (exactly $1,884) | SillyOven | |
| | Mr.Robbo | $9.99 | 5 40% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | It8bit Club | |
| | G-MODEアーカイブス+ フラッシュモーター・カレン | $12.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $1.2k (exactly $1,169) | G-MODE, HOPEMOON | |
| | Pop Optics | $6.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $839 (exactly $839) | Nanotron Studio | |
| | Super Blockbuster | $4.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $748 (exactly $748) | Pikselit Games |
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.