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Should I ship an Alien Level Editor game?
Level Editor + Aliens
Only 9 developers shipped an Alien Level Editor game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Earth vs Mars, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×4.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $450 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 5 developers shipped in the last year and 21 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $449 (exactly $449) |
| Top 25% | $3.4k (exactly $3,356) |
| Top 5% | $33k (exactly $33,278) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 38 |
| Announced | 21 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 70% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Level Editor
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Aliens
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Level Editor
- Price point
- $6.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 15,931 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 21 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Level Editor with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + AutomationLong shot
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
Comparable games
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ 2009 · $1.8M 
Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath 2009 · $1.1M 
变量 Variables 2019 · $315k 
Siege of Centauri 2019 · $157k 
Incredipede 2013 · $46k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ | older | $6.96 | 8,777 89% | 263k | $1.8M (exactly $1,832,638) | EA Los Angeles |
| | Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath | older | $6.96 | 5,499 93% | 165k | $1.1M (exactly $1,148,191) | EA Los Angeles |
| | 变量 Variables | older | $10.99 | 954 86% | 29k | $315k (exactly $314,534) | Asteroid Game Studio |
| | Siege of Centauri | older | $14.99 | 350 64% | 11k | $157k (exactly $157,395) | Stardock Entertainment |
| | Incredipede | older | $9.99 | 153 79% | 4.6k | $46k (exactly $45,854) | Colin Northway with art by Thomas Shahan |
 | Earth vs Mars | $14.99 | 74 85% | 2.2k | $33k (exactly $33,278) | Relic Entertainment | |
 | Astronimo | older | $14.99 | 47 80% | 1.4k | $21k (exactly $21,136) | Coatsink |
 | Absolute Territory | older | $9.99 | 26 61% | 780 | $7.8k (exactly $7,792) | Digitum Software |
 | Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins Enhanced | $6.99 | 33 75% | 990 | $6.9k (exactly $6,920) | KDV Games | |
 | Sci-fi builder | older | $9.99 | 18 50% | 540 | $5.4k (exactly $5,395) | Games For Pleasure |
 | UniWar | $7.99 | 14 71% | 420 | $3.4k (exactly $3,356) | Spooky House | |
 | Blow it up | $4.99 | 18 100% | 540 | $2.7k (exactly $2,695) | Brain Seal Ltd | |
 | Save New York 2030 | $4.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | Black Belt Logic LLC | |
 | Gooper | $0.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $30 (exactly $30) | CactusJock | |
 | Driftscape: Void | · EA | $5.00 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Three Brothers Games |
 | Hand Cannon: Janky Reality | $14.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Suicidal Robot Games | |
 | Doomed Stars | $9.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Mischief & Mayhem Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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