Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Time Management
Should I ship a Time Management Action RPG?
Action RPG + Time Management
Of 20 developers who shipped a Time Management 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, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $690, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300. 43 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper, while revenue is down 75% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $693 (exactly $693) |
| Top 25% | $10k (exactly $10,190) |
| Top 5% | $53M (exactly $52,962,833) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 50 |
| Announced | 43 |
| 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 down 75% on the market, supply 300% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, 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
- Time Management
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Action RPG, Time Management; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Action
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $69.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $69.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 42,204 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action RPG with a different second tag, 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
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Metaphor: ReFantazio | $69.99 | 25,224 89% | 757k | $53M (exactly $52,962,833) | ATLUS | |
| | The Blood of Dawnwalker | $69.99 | 15,789 86% | 474k | $33M (exactly $33,152,163) | Rebel Wolves | |
| | 道衍诀 | · EA older | $11.99 | 988 49% | 30k | $355k (exactly $355,384) | 宁德动游网络科技有限公司 |
| | Eventide Matter | $5.99 | 927 95% | 28k | $167k (exactly $166,582) | Ottropi Games | |
| | Tavern Legends | $24.99 | 160 91% | 4.8k | $120k (exactly $119,952) | CROWFORGE Games | |
| | Innchanted | older | $19.99 | 117 84% | 3.5k | $70k (exactly $70,165) | DragonBear Studios |
| | TryAndLove | older | $6.99 | 208 48% | 6.2k | $44k (exactly $43,618) | MYSTERY CROWN |
| | Sapper - Defuse The Bomb Simulator | older | $9.99 | 73 34% | 2.2k | $22k (exactly $21,878) | Live Motion Games |
| | Witch and Hero(魔女と勇者) | older | $4.99 | 103 82% | 3.1k | $15k (exactly $15,419) | FK Digital, Flyhigh Works |
| | The Emerald Tablet | older | $19.99 | 21 57% | 630 | $13k (exactly $12,594) | {uni} |
| | Giant’s Heart | $9.99 | 34 91% | 1.0k | $10k (exactly $10,190) | sqqqwer | |
| | Clockfall | · EA | $9.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $5.4k (exactly $5,395) | Rever Games GmbH |
| | Prison Life Sim 2026 - Survival | · EA | $9.99 | 16 0% | 480 | $4.8k (exactly $4,795) | Great Escape Games Publishing |
| | Grim Pastures | · EA | $3.99 | 25 96% | 750 | $3.0k (exactly $2,992) | 7hgamestudio |
| | Cooking Cat-astrophe | $3.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $958 (exactly $958) | MIYU artlab | |
| | Cook Saga | · EA | $7.70 | 3 66% | 90 | $693 (exactly $693) | Nasus Solution |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.