Do I ship it?

GamesAction RPGAction RPG + Automation

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Automation Action RPG?

Action RPG + Automation

Of 21 developers who shipped an Automation 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.. 53 more are announced, ×5.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $6.5k, ×4.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $830; 1 in 20 cleared $820k, ×551 the market median. Revenue is up 4425% on the market; 53 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 4425% on the market, 53 announced, ×5.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RPG + Automation
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $300 → $52k → $299 → $13k → $34k (still earning) → $6.5k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RPG + Automation: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $824 (exactly $824)
Median $6.5k (exactly $6,475)
Top 25% $34k (exactly $34,183)
Top 5% $826k (exactly $825,714)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 36
Announced 53
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $10.99

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 4425% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action RPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Automation
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Action RPG, Automation; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action-Adventure, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$10.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 6,217 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $830, median $6.5k, 1 in 4 over $34k, 1 in 20 over $820k.

3 in 10 developers made under $830. 7 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 53 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + NavalFair17 devs · median $15k · 11 announced
  2. + Local Co-OpFair68 devs · median $6.0k · 82 announced
  3. + WesternFair13 devs · median $5.5k · 15 announced
  4. + Local MultiplayerFair43 devs · median $5.5k · 56 announced
  5. + Walking SimulatorLong shot35 devs · median $450 · 33 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds7 devs · median $198k · 28 announced
  7. + Character Action GamePoor odds14 devs · median $105k · 55 announced
  8. + MechsPoor odds21 devs · median $59k · 43 announced
  9. + Colony SimPoor odds11 devs · median $58k · 35 announced
  10. + Dating SimPoor odds31 devs · median $44k · 47 announced
  11. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds23 devs · median $26k · 69 announced
  12. + Bullet HeavenPoor odds77 devs · median $25k · 91 announced

All 211 pairs on the Action RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ASKA · EA older $24.99 10,457 79% 314k $7.8M (exactly $7,839,613) Sand Sailor Studio
Pax Autocratica · EA $29.99 3,202 91% 96k $2.9M (exactly $2,880,839) Multiverse
Return from Core $16.99 1,620 75% 49k $826k (exactly $825,714) 顽核社 FuncoreClub
Bioweaver $6.99 668 77% 20k $140k (exactly $140,080) Emprom Game, Wild Kid Games
Cultivation Magic World · EA $12.99 276 78% 8.3k $108k (exactly $107,557) DMG Studio
XiuzhenWorld2 $12.99 134 67% 4.0k $52k (exactly $52,220) Noforgetit
Yuma Nest · EA $19.99 57 89% 1.7k $34k (exactly $34,183) Piokou
Shattered Realm Rebirth · EA $13.99 52 88% 1.6k $22k (exactly $21,824) kingnagame
DarkStone Restoration · EA $10.99 63 96% 1.9k $21k (exactly $20,771) Paul Cuisset
Yollen $3.99 112 66% 3.4k $13k (exactly $13,406) axilirate
Dwarf Delve $12.99 33 33% 990 $13k (exactly $12,860) Gloom Box

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