Should I ship an Animal PvP game?
PvP + Animals
Only 16 developers shipped an Animal PvP 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, Slopecrashers, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 56 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build. 15 developers shipped in the last year and 56 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $300 (exactly $300) |
| Top 25% | $4.1k (exactly $4,070) |
| Top 5% | $44k (exactly $44,255) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 27 |
| Announced | 56 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 1400% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 26%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP
- Price point
- $6.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 202 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 56 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + BaseballFair
- + TransportationFair
- + BasketballFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + BikesFair
- + GolfFair
- + World War IFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + BilliardsFair
- + TennisLong shot
- + TypingLong shot
- + SpellingLong shot
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ratz Instagib | older | $8.99 | 2,529 90% | 76k | $682k (exactly $682,071) | Lino Slahuschek |
| | Slopecrashers | $17.99 | 82 93% | 2.5k | $44k (exactly $44,255) | byteparrot | |
| | My Life: Riding Stables 3 | older | $14.99 | 19 68% | 570 | $8.5k (exactly $8,544) | Korion Interactive |
| | Skollorn | $6.99 | 34 94% | 1.0k | $7.1k (exactly $7,130) | Fenris Labs | |
| | Hide and Moo! | $5.99 | 34 76% | 1.0k | $6.1k (exactly $6,110) | Black Sea Studios | |
| | Zoo Wars | $3.99 | 34 100% | 1.0k | $4.1k (exactly $4,070) | Studio GG | |
| | Primal Pursuit | older | $1.99 | 63 80% | 1.9k | $3.8k (exactly $3,761) | Adrenasoft Studios, Thomas Glazebrook |
| | Slide - Animal Race | older | $9.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) | Oneiric Worlds |
| | TORO 2 | $29.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Recotechnology SL | |
| | Grapple Bear | $4.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $898 (exactly $898) | HaviEgyJatek, ProkischDaniel | |
| | Hockey Beasts | $7.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $479 (exactly $479) | Revulo Games | |
| | Gap Storm | $9.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Peace War Found | |
| | Baaft | $4.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | Broken Games | |
| | Who Am I Next? : Animals | $1.00 | 5 100% | 150 | $150 (exactly $150) | OFFMOON Inc. |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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