Do I ship it?

GamesAction RoguelikeAction Roguelike + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Local Co-Op

Of 112 developers who shipped a Local Co-Op 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.. 185 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.5k, ×5.2 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $1.0M, ×2265 the market median. Revenue is down 35% on the market; 185 games are announced against 68 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 35% on the market, 185 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 112
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $11k → $5.7k → $8.4k → $1.6k → $4.2k → $2.6k → $2.5k (still earning) → $240 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 112
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $2.5k (exactly $2,470)
Top 25% $24k (exactly $23,834)
Top 5% $1.1M (exactly $1,075,862)
Developers, 2 yr 112
Released games 327
Announced 185
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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: revenue down 35% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action Roguelike
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Action Roguelike, Local Co-Op; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Co-op, Roguelite
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 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 $7.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 42,806 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $2.5k, 1 in 4 over $23k, 1 in 20 over $1.0M.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 45 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 185 games are announced against 68 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action Roguelike with a different second tag, 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth older $14.99 415,060 96% 12M $187M (exactly $186,652,482) Nicalis, Inc., Edmund McMillen
Vampire Survivors older $4.99 251,686 98% 7.6M $38M (exactly $37,677,394) poncle
Enter the Gungeon older $14.99 79,392 95% 2.4M $36M (exactly $35,702,582) Dodge Roll
Brotato older $4.99 111,407 95% 3.3M $17M (exactly $16,677,628) Blobfish
Children of Morta older $21.99 18,213 88% 546k $12M (exactly $12,015,116) Dead Mage
Spelunky 2 older $19.99 19,736 93% 592k $12M (exactly $11,835,679) Mossmouth, BlitWorks
Risk of Rain Returns older $14.99 24,795 89% 744k $11M (exactly $11,150,312) Hopoo Games
PlateUp! older $19.99 18,500 94% 555k $11M (exactly $11,094,450) It's happening
Streets of Rogue older $19.99 17,215 96% 516k $10M (exactly $10,323,836) Matt Dabrowski
Hero Siege older $7.99 36,844 67% 1.1M $8.8M (exactly $8,831,507) Panic Art Studios Ltd
Absolum $24.99 9,399 91% 282k $7.0M (exactly $7,046,430) Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks
Rotwood $29.99 7,459 74% 224k $6.7M (exactly $6,710,862) Klei Entertainment
Lost Castle 2 $17.99 10,851 78% 326k $5.9M (exactly $5,856,285) Hunter Studio
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate $29.99 4,143 83% 124k $3.7M (exactly $3,727,457) Super Evil Megacorp
Pathogenic $9.99 4,145 92% 124k $1.2M (exactly $1,242,256) Aberrant Labs
Unrailed 2: Back on Track $19.99 1,794 88% 54k $1.1M (exactly $1,075,862) Indoor Astronaut
Wild Woods · EA $14.99 1,746 78% 52k $785k (exactly $785,176) Octofox Games
Rogue Point $19.99 940 63% 28k $564k (exactly $563,718) Crowbar Collective
Noobs Are Coming $7.99 1,580 82% 47k $379k (exactly $378,726) Overboy
Abandoned Archive $5.99 749 93% 22k $135k (exactly $134,595) Vedal

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