Do I ship it?

Games › Action Roguelike › Action Roguelike + Pirates

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Pirate Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Pirates

Of 22 developers who shipped a Pirate 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.. 39 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×3.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×219 the market median. Revenue is down 20% on the market; 39 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 39 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Pirates
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $12k → $6.3k → $2.0k → $1.4k → $2.1k (still earning) → $4.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Pirates: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,063)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $11,301)
Top 5% $137k (exactly $137,331)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 62
Announced 39
Effort 5 / 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 20% on the market, supply 115% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Pirates
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Action Roguelike; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Comedy, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 1,507 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 7 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 39 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 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

Pixel Piracy 2014 · $2.6M King of Seas 2021 · $452k Flinthook 2017 · $270k DAVY x JONES 2025 · EA · $210k Mark of the Deep 2025 · $137k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Pixel Piracy older $14.99 5,713 65% 171k $2.6M (exactly $2,569,136) Vitali Kirpu
King of Seas older $24.99 603 57% 18k $452k (exactly $452,069) 3DClouds
Flinthook older $14.99 600 73% 18k $270k (exactly $269,820) Tribute Games Inc.
DAVY x JONES · EA $17.99 389 82% 12k $210k (exactly $209,943) PARASIGHT
Mark of the Deep $19.99 229 73% 6.9k $137k (exactly $137,331) Mad Mimic
GUNHEAD older $19.99 154 68% 4.6k $92k (exactly $92,354) Alientrap
Sea of Survivors · EA older $6.99 415 81% 12k $87k (exactly $87,026) Nah Yeah Games
Last Pirates: Die Together · EA $7.99 325 76% 9.8k $78k (exactly $77,902) RetroStyle Games
Distant Star: Revenant Fleet older $9.99 258 63% 7.7k $77k (exactly $77,323) Blazing Griffin
Dig, Dig, Die $7.99 321 64% 9.6k $77k (exactly $76,944) Alice Games
Curse of Pirates $9.99 121 80% 3.6k $36k (exactly $36,264) Funky Parrot
Fluffy Sailors $12.99 29 79% 870 $11k (exactly $11,301) Skaldery Games
Ocean Survivors $3.49 38 97% 1.1k $4.0k (exactly $3,979) Aremji Games
Pirates: Rogue's Fortune · EA $12.99 10 100% 300 $3.9k (exactly $3,897) NINPO Game Studio
Hentai Pirates Survivors $4.99 24 91% 720 $3.6k (exactly $3,593) Pinky Pads
Lord O' Pirates $4.99 21 85% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) One Flow Man

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