Do I ship it?

Games › Action Roguelike › Action Roguelike + Artificial Intelligence

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an AI Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Artificial Intelligence

Of 45 developers who shipped an AI Action Roguelike 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.. 63 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $720, ×1.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $67k, ×143 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 63 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 63 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Artificial Intelligence
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 45
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $359 → $479 → $59 → $1.8k → $898 → $1.0k (still earning) → $450 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Artificial Intelligence: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 45
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $718 (exactly $718)
Top 25% $14k (exactly $13,671)
Top 5% $68k (exactly $67,732)
Developers, 2 yr 45
Released games 107
Announced 63
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 45% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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 Roguelike
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Artificial Intelligence
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Action Roguelike; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Roguelike
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 81% positive over 3,240 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $720, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $67k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 63 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action Roguelike with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RomanceStrong odds22 devs · median $6.5k · 17 announced
  2. + Creature CollectorFair39 devs · median $1.8k · 54 announced
  3. + SportsFair41 devs · median $1.6k · 39 announced
  4. + Boss RushFair20 devs · median $1.6k · 19 announced
  5. + VampiresFair55 devs · median $1.3k · 52 announced
  6. + IdlerFair44 devs · median $1.0k · 55 announced
  7. + DogsFair19 devs · median $899 · 18 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerFair36 devs · median $629 · 38 announced
  9. + FaithFair16 devs · median $449 · 21 announced
  10. + Character Action GamePoor odds9 devs · median $20k · 40 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $12k · 14 announced
  12. + MechsPoor odds44 devs · median $12k · 85 announced

All 205 pairs on the Action Roguelike page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Morbid Metal 2026 · EA · $839k Net.Attack() - Code or Die! 2026 · $122k Sweet Surrender VR 2021 · $98k Dungeon Brawls 2026 · $68k Breach Protocol 2026 · $67k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Morbid Metal · EA $17.99 1,555 81% 47k $839k (exactly $839,233) SCREEN JUICE
Net.Attack() - Code or Die! $7.99 510 80% 15k $122k (exactly $122,247) ByteRockers' Games
Sweet Surrender VR older $24.99 131 84% 3.9k $98k (exactly $98,211) Salmi Games
Dungeon Brawls $9.99 226 76% 6.8k $68k (exactly $67,732) Underground Cat
Breach Protocol $14.99 149 69% 4.5k $67k (exactly $67,005) Entropy Digital Entertainment
The Backrooms · EA older $9.99 119 62% 3.6k $36k (exactly $35,664) Ionized Games
The Last Citadel $14.99 70 85% 2.1k $31k (exactly $31,479) Honest Demon
SAHUR: Escape Together $1.99 367 75% 11k $22k (exactly $21,910) Goosix Games
Machine Tower 2984 $9.99 69 86% 2.1k $21k (exactly $20,679) 打螺丝游戏工作室
Regulators $14.99 35 100% 1.1k $16k (exactly $15,740) Orangepixel
BONK THE BOYKISSER · EA $2.99 173 90% 5.2k $16k (exactly $15,518) akhsotoen
Attack Core · EA $5.99 86 97% 2.6k $15k (exactly $15,454) ArtsMoons

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