Games › Arcade › Arcade + Cold War
Should I ship a Cold-War Arcade game?
Arcade + Cold War
Only 12 developers shipped a Cold-War Arcade 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, Metal Thunder, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced, ×2.6 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. 7 developers shipped in the last year and 18 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $119 (exactly $119) |
|---|---|
| Median | $450 (exactly $450) |
| Top 25% | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 5% | $187k (exactly $186,940) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 51 |
| Announced | 18 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 555% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 22%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Arcade
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 77% positive over 615 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $120. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Arcade with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + TrainsFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + MiningFair
- + FaithFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + EconomyFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + LootFair
- + VampiresFair
Comparable games
Military Conflict: Vietnam 2022 · EA · $915k 
Toy Soldiers: Complete 2016 · $445k 
Metal Thunder 2024 · EA · $187k 
The Bluecoats: North & South 2020 · $79k 
Yupitergrad 🚀(Virtual Reality Adventure) 2020 · $40k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Military Conflict: Vietnam | · EA older | $14.99 | 2,035 91% | 61k | $915k (exactly $915,140) | Dustfade |
| | Toy Soldiers: Complete | older | $14.99 | 989 78% | 30k | $445k (exactly $444,753) | Signal Studios, Krome Studios |
| | Metal Thunder | · EA | $10.99 | 567 76% | 17k | $187k (exactly $186,940) | Dumbbell Games |
| | The Bluecoats: North & South | older | $14.99 | 176 61% | 5.3k | $79k (exactly $79,147) | Appeal Studios |
| | Yupitergrad 🚀(Virtual Reality Adventure) | older | $14.99 | 88 95% | 2.6k | $40k (exactly $39,574) | Gamedust |
 | Silent Depth 3D Submarine Simulation | older | $9.99 | 79 63% | 2.4k | $24k (exactly $23,676) | Codeknitters |
 | Mini Hockey Champ! | older | $9.99 | 57 87% | 1.7k | $17k (exactly $17,083) | 26k |
 | Missile Command: Recharged | older | $9.99 | 48 89% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $14,386) | Adamvision Studios, SneakyBox |
 | Incaved Runner | older | $3.99 | 78 96% | 2.3k | $9.3k (exactly $9,337) | DualWielded |
 | REDSIDE episode 1 | older | $7.99 | 25 64% | 750 | $6.0k (exactly $5,992) | Energy Milk |
 | Laika's Space Defence | $1.99 | 21 100% | 630 | $1.3k (exactly $1,254) | Para Fauna Studios | |
 | Lunokhod | $4.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | Lunokhod Labs | |
 | IRON SIGHT | · EA | $4.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $748 (exactly $748) | Blackmonkgaming |
 | Sky Scramble | $5.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $539 (exactly $539) | SpunjLabs | |
 | Sky Combat: WWII Warplane Races | · EA | $14.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $450 (exactly $450) | Hard Shark Games |
 | Flight Weapon | $5.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $359 (exactly $359) | Dying Tiger Studios AB | |
 | Bulletproof Tank Adventure | $0.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $148 (exactly $148) | HAPPYTECH | |
 | Lucky Pikinini - Advanced Killer Cyborg | $1.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $119 (exactly $119) | Lucky Pikinini | |
 | Panama Canal Clash | $1.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | Gamesforgames |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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