Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Aliens
Should I ship an Alien Action RPG?
Action RPG + Aliens
Of 44 developers who shipped an Alien Action RPG 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.. 104 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, level with the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $66k, ×45 the market median. Revenue is up 210% on the market; 104 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,556) |
| Top 25% | $7.2k (exactly $7,193) |
| Top 5% | $67k (exactly $66,723) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 44 |
| Released games | 146 |
| Announced | 104 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 up 210% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Action RPG
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Aliens
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Action RPG; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Action-Adventure
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Anime
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 2,051 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. Nearly all of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 104 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action RPG with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + NavalFair
- + Local Co-OpFair
- + WesternFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + Walking SimulatorLong shot
- + WuxiaPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + MechsPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
Comparable games
ELEX II 2022 · $6.0M 
Starcom: Unknown Space 2024 · $3.3M 
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Prophecy 2019 · $2.2M 
Zombotron 2019 · $1.3M 
Alien Shooter 2009 · $587k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ELEX II | older | $49.99 | 4,015 73% | 120k | $6.0M (exactly $6,021,296) | Piranha Bytes |
| | Starcom: Unknown Space | older | $24.99 | 4,464 92% | 134k | $3.3M (exactly $3,346,661) | Wx3 Labs, LLC |
| | Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Prophecy | older | $24.99 | 2,884 79% | 87k | $2.2M (exactly $2,162,135) | NeocoreGames |
| | Zombotron | older | $14.99 | 2,974 89% | 89k | $1.3M (exactly $1,337,408) | Ant.Karlov Games |
| | Alien Shooter | older | $4.99 | 3,919 95% | 118k | $587k (exactly $586,674) | Sigma Team Inc. |
 | Star Fire: Eternal Cycle | $16.99 | 1,012 91% | 30k | $516k (exactly $515,816) | Ethereal Fish Studio | |
 | Alien Shooter 2 - The Legend | older | $14.99 | 1,087 52% | 33k | $489k (exactly $488,824) | Sigma Team Inc. |
 | Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded | older | $4.99 | 2,517 92% | 76k | $377k (exactly $376,795) | Sigma Team Inc. |
 | Ben 10: Power Trip | older | $29.99 | 320 78% | 9.6k | $288k (exactly $287,904) | PHL Collective |
 | Earth 2160 | older | $9.99 | 754 70% | 23k | $226k (exactly $225,974) | Reality Pump Studios |
 | Planet Lust | $14.99 | 335 76% | 10k | $151k (exactly $150,650) | Skullgear | |
 | HELL GALAXY | $24.99 | 89 74% | 2.7k | $67k (exactly $66,723) | Italian Games Factory | |
 | Let Them Come: Onslaught | $7.99 | 216 89% | 6.5k | $52k (exactly $51,775) | Tuatara Games | |
 | WARSHIFT 2 | $19.99 | 54 70% | 1.6k | $32k (exactly $32,384) | Cyril Megem | |
 | Arcadium - Space Odyssey | $7.99 | 110 93% | 3.3k | $26k (exactly $26,367) | Luciano Bercini | |
 | Nun of your Business | $5.99 | 126 73% | 3.8k | $23k (exactly $22,642) | Revolt Games | |
 | Niktophobia | $7.99 | 63 66% | 1.9k | $15k (exactly $15,101) | OldYacht | |
 | Rogue Courier: Phantom From a Past | $18.99 | 21 76% | 630 | $12k (exactly $11,964) | Pink Cookie Games, Dakzky | |
 | The SeethingSwarm Collection | $9.99 | 25 92% | 750 | $7.5k (exactly $7,492) | Seethingswarm |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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