Do I ship it?

Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Action RPG?

Action RPG + Cats

Of 28 developers who shipped a Cat 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.. 68 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×2.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $960; 1 in 20 cleared $580k, ×388 the market median. Revenue is up 1300% on the market; 68 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 1300% on the market, 68 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RPG + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.0k → $2.0k → $3.6k → $6.9k → $3.3k (still earning) → $9.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RPG + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $958 (exactly $958)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,297)
Top 25% $19k (exactly $18,609)
Top 5% $582k (exactly $581,854)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 58
Announced 68
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

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 1300% on the market, supply 80% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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
Cats
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high 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; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics, 2D, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 2,750 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $960, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $18k, 1 in 20 over $580k.

3 in 10 developers made under $960. All of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 68 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action RPG with a different setting or mood, 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

Cat Quest 2017 · $3.3M The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales 2026 · $3.0M Cat Quest II 2019 · $2.6M Cat Quest III 2024 · $1.9M Crypt Custodian 2024 · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Cat Quest older $12.99 8,371 94% 251k $3.3M (exactly $3,262,179) The Gentlebros
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales $59.99 1,687 78% 51k $3.0M (exactly $3,036,094) Square Enix, Claytechworks
Cat Quest II older $14.99 5,850 95% 176k $2.6M (exactly $2,630,745) The Gentlebros
Cat Quest III older $19.99 3,108 94% 93k $1.9M (exactly $1,863,868) The Gentlebros
Crypt Custodian older $19.99 2,927 96% 88k $1.8M (exactly $1,755,322) Kyle Thompson
Kristala $39.99 485 71% 15k $582k (exactly $581,854) Astral Clocktower Studios
Legend of Kay Anniversary older $19.99 268 70% 8.0k $161k (exactly $160,720) KAIKO, Neon Studios
Baldo: The Guardian Owls older $19.99 185 65% 5.6k $111k (exactly $110,944) Naps Team
Cladun X3 $39.99 83 90% 2.5k $100k (exactly $99,575) Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
Dungeons And Cat $9.99 193 88% 5.8k $58k (exactly $57,842) CatBellUnion
CASSETTE BOY $12.99 68 70% 2.0k $27k (exactly $26,500) Wonderland Kazakiri inc.
Cat Girl Survivor $14.99 45 55% 1.4k $20k (exactly $20,236) Minimum Studio Corp.
Cat Gladiator $8.99 69 86% 2.1k $19k (exactly $18,609) Funleeks Studio
Bravest Coconut $9.99 31 96% 930 $9.3k (exactly $9,291) Little Nebula
9 Lives to Defend $3.99 64 84% 1.9k $7.7k (exactly $7,661) Goldarait
The SeethingSwarm Collection $9.99 25 92% 750 $7.5k (exactly $7,492) Seethingswarm

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