Do I ship it?

GamesAction-AdventureAction-Adventure + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Action-Adventure?

Action-Adventure + Local Co-Op

Of 169 developers who shipped a Local Co-Op 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.. 250 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $4.2k, ×6.7 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $500k, ×802 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 250 games are announced against 92 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 250 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action-Adventure + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 169
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.6k → $21k → $1.8k → $7.0k → $5.0k → $6.3k → $1.3k (still earning) → $1.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action-Adventure + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 169
Bottom 30% $479 (exactly $479)
Median $4.2k (exactly $4,196)
Top 25% $27k (exactly $26,629)
Top 5% $504k (exactly $503,832)
Developers, 2 yr 169
Released games 478
Announced 250
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 40% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Local Co-Op
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

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, Local Co-Op; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Co-op, Action
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Family Friendly, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 124,254 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $480, median $4.2k, 1 in 4 over $26k, 1 in 20 over $500k.

3 in 10 developers made under $480. 9 in 10 of the 86 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 250 games are announced against 92 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
It Takes Two older $39.99 218,492 95% 6.6M $262M (exactly $262,124,852) Hazelight Studios
Split Fiction $49.99 78,378 97% 2.4M $118M (exactly $117,543,487) Hazelight Studios
A Way Out older $29.99 78,174 87% 2.3M $70M (exactly $70,333,148) Hazelight Studios
Party Animals older $19.99 56,043 81% 1.7M $34M (exactly $33,608,987) Recreate Games
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds $69.99 11,479 93% 344k $24M (exactly $24,102,456) Sonic Team
LEGO® Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight $69.99 8,728 95% 262k $18M (exactly $18,326,182) TT Games
Sonic Mania older $19.99 24,338 94% 730k $15M (exactly $14,595,499) Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, Pagoda… (Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games)
Goat Simulator 3 older $29.99 13,779 97% 413k $12M (exactly $12,396,966) Coffee Stain North
Children of Morta older $21.99 18,213 88% 546k $12M (exactly $12,015,116) Dead Mage
Tales of Zestiria older $49.99 7,187 80% 216k $11M (exactly $10,778,344) BANDAI NAMCO Studio Inc.
Absolum $24.99 9,399 91% 282k $7.0M (exactly $7,046,430) Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks
Lost Castle 2 $17.99 10,851 78% 326k $5.9M (exactly $5,856,285) Hunter Studio
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion $29.99 2,298 88% 69k $2.1M (exactly $2,067,511) Tribute Games Inc.
LEGO® Harry Potter™ Collection $39.99 1,464 82% 44k $1.8M (exactly $1,756,361) TT Games, Double Eleven
PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC $29.99 694 90% 21k $624k (exactly $624,392) NOW PRODUCTION Co., Ltd.
Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark $29.99 560 65% 17k $504k (exactly $503,832) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
LEGO® Horizon Adventures™ $39.99 403 60% 12k $483k (exactly $483,479) Guerrilla Games, Studio Gobo

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