Do I ship it?

Games › Action-Adventure › Action-Adventure + Deckbuilding

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Deckbuilding Action-Adventure?

Action-Adventure + Deckbuilding

Of 27 developers who shipped a Deckbuilding Action-Adventure 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.. 67 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $750, ×1.2 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×393 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 67 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 67 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action-Adventure + Deckbuilding
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 27
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $3.0k → $2.2k → $299 (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action-Adventure + Deckbuilding: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 27
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $748 (exactly $748)
Top 25% $7.0k (exactly $7,012)
Top 5% $247k (exactly $246,566)
Developers, 2 yr 27
Released games 59
Announced 67
Effort 6 / 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 down 95% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action-Adventure
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Action-Adventure, Deckbuilding; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, RPG
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 2,064 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $750, 1 in 4 over $7.0k, 1 in 20 over $240k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 8 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action-Adventure with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimFair63 devs · median $12k · 69 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair18 devs · median $6.7k · 19 announced
  3. + BikesFair11 devs · median $2.5k · 11 announced
  4. + TransportationFair21 devs · median $2.3k · 22 announced
  5. + MotorbikeFair9 devs · median $2.3k · 12 announced
  6. + TypingLong shot14 devs · median $360 · 16 announced
  7. + Time AttackLong shot12 devs · median $150 · 17 announced
  8. + Character Action GamePoor odds23 devs · median $58k · 93 announced
  9. + MMORPGPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 116 announced
  10. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds49 devs · median $25k · 133 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds81 devs · median $24k · 135 announced
  12. + Villain ProtagonistPoor odds12 devs · median $17k · 26 announced

All 242 pairs on the Action-Adventure page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

暖雪 Warm Snow 2022 · $19M Book of Demons 2018 · $6.0M Lost in Random™ 2021 · $4.0M Moonstone Island 2023 · $2.4M The Knight Witch 2022 · $386k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
暖雪 Warm Snow older $17.99 35,270 92% 1.1M $19M (exactly $19,035,219) BadMudStudio
Book of Demons older $24.99 8,010 91% 240k $6.0M (exactly $6,005,097) Thing Trunk
Lost in Random™ older $29.99 4,479 88% 134k $4.0M (exactly $4,029,756) Zoink, Thunderful
Moonstone Island older $19.99 4,063 84% 122k $2.4M (exactly $2,436,581) Studio Supersoft
The Knight Witch older $19.99 643 72% 19k $386k (exactly $385,607) Super Mega Team
Reap and Rush $14.99 622 77% 19k $280k (exactly $279,713) Beijing Pacifier Technology
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm older $29.99 296 73% 8.9k $266k (exactly $266,311) Cornfox & Brothers Ltd.
9th Dawn Remake $15.99 514 86% 15k $247k (exactly $246,566) Valorware
DreamEcho $11.99 369 79% 11k $133k (exactly $132,729) HotWaterStudio
Archons $9.99 406 92% 12k $122k (exactly $121,678) BulletHell Studios
Echo Generation 2 $24.99 41 73% 1.2k $31k (exactly $30,738) Cococucumber
Spirit Mancer $19.99 51 72% 1.5k $31k (exactly $30,585) Sunny Syrup Studio
Paws and Whiskers $8.99 26 76% 780 $7.0k (exactly $7,012) JohnHang
Under a Desert Sun: Seekers of the Cursed Vessel · EA $24.99 6 100% 180 $4.5k (exactly $4,498) Revolving Gear Studios
Trial of Ariah $11.95 12 91% 360 $4.3k (exactly $4,302) 30 Minute Games
Feline Survivor $5.99 17 82% 510 $3.1k (exactly $3,055) 一拳工作室

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