Do I ship it?

Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Mechs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mech Action RPG?

Action RPG + Mechs

Of 21 developers who shipped a Mech 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.. 43 more are announced, ×4.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $59k, ×39 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $2.7M, ×1866 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 43 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 39.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 43 announced, ×4.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RPG + Mechs
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: $74k → $359 → $26k → $84k → $908k → $379k → $33k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RPG + Mechs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $2.3k (exactly $2,336)
Median $59k (exactly $58,771)
Top 25% $908k (exactly $908,173)
Top 5% $2.8M (exactly $2,795,631)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 61
Announced 43
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $14.99

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 90% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Mechs
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; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, Adventure
Price point
$14.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Anime, Third Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $14.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 17,007 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.4k, median $59k, 1 in 4 over $900k, 1 in 20 over $2.7M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.4k. 5 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.8 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. + Colony SimPoor odds11 devs · median $58k · 35 announced
  9. + Dating SimPoor odds31 devs · median $44k · 47 announced
  10. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds23 devs · median $26k · 69 announced
  11. + Bullet HeavenPoor odds77 devs · median $25k · 91 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds44 devs · median $23k · 78 announced

All 211 pairs on the Action RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

SD GUNDAM BATTLE ALLIANCE 2022 · $8.8M The Surge 2 2019 · $6.7M The Surge 2017 · $4.1M Pax Autocratica 2026 · EA · $2.9M M.A.S.S. Builder 2025 · $2.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SD GUNDAM BATTLE ALLIANCE older $59.99 4,892 62% 147k $8.8M (exactly $8,804,132) ARTDINK
The Surge 2 older $29.99 7,477 75% 224k $6.7M (exactly $6,727,057) Deck13
The Surge older $14.99 9,161 75% 275k $4.1M (exactly $4,119,702) Deck13
Pax Autocratica · EA $29.99 3,202 91% 96k $2.9M (exactly $2,880,839) Multiverse
M.A.S.S. Builder $24.99 3,729 85% 112k $2.8M (exactly $2,795,631) Vermillion Digital
SAND LAND older $59.99 1,018 86% 31k $1.8M (exactly $1,832,095) ILCA, Inc.
Dolls Nest $19.99 2,421 88% 73k $1.5M (exactly $1,451,874) NITRO PLUS
R.I.P. - Reincarnation Insurance Program $14.99 2,727 76% 82k $1.2M (exactly $1,226,332) WarmCore Studio
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II $59.99 669 83% 20k $1.2M (exactly $1,203,999) Nihon Falcom, PH3 GmbH
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED BATTLE DESTINY REMASTERED $39.99 757 77% 23k $908k (exactly $908,173) Bandai Namco Forge Digitals Inc.
Metal Slug Tactics $24.99 1,152 76% 35k $864k (exactly $863,654) Leikir Studio
Metal Bringer $19.99 1,109 87% 33k $665k (exactly $665,067) ALPHAWING Inc.
Granvir $14.99 842 90% 25k $379k (exactly $378,647) Airborne Games
Time Treker $6.99 399 65% 12k $84k (exactly $83,670) Fuse Game

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