Do I ship it?

GamesCRPGCRPG + Arcade

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Arcade CRPG?

CRPG + Arcade

Only 13 developers shipped an Arcade CRPG 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, Swords and Sandals 3 Redux, 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, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $240 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 7 developers shipped in the last year and 21 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 140% on the market, 21 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Arcade
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.7k → $299 → $1.6k → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Arcade: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $179 (exactly $179)
Top 25% $238 (exactly $238)
Top 5% $70k (exactly $69,830)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 50
Announced 21
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 140% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Arcade
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 87% positive over 267 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $180, 1 in 4 over $230, 1 in 20 over $69k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + 2D PlatformerFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  6. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  7. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  8. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  9. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  10. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  12. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Corsairs Legacy - Pirate Action RPG & Sea Battles · EA older $19.99 1,094 74% 33k $656k (exactly $656,072) Mauris, Tech-5 UG
Zombie Shooter older $4.99 911 82% 27k $136k (exactly $136,377) Sigma Team Inc.
Swords and Sandals 3 Redux $9.99 233 87% 7.0k $70k (exactly $69,830) Whiskeybarrel Studios
The Legend of Yan Loong 1+2 older $12.99 61 57% 1.8k $24k (exactly $23,772) Creetor
Gordon Streaman 2 older $12.99 56 71% 1.7k $22k (exactly $21,823) Brouillard
Shogunaria older $6.99 27 81% 810 $5.7k (exactly $5,662) SEEP
Vojna older $2.99 42 42% 1.3k $3.8k (exactly $3,767) HFM Games
BeadsPopper older $3.99 31 67% 930 $3.7k (exactly $3,711) T.F.A.N.C.S.
Vulture older $9.99 12 66% 360 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Cubic Timeline Productions Inc.
Brain off older $4.99 19 68% 570 $2.8k (exactly $2,844) Butengo entertainment
Drop: Save the Forest $4.99 11 100% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) Riccardo Giol, Games Greenhouse
Dragonium Adventure $4.99 2 50% 60 $299 (exactly $299) Alestore Inc.
Moshcave $0.99 8 62% 240 $238 (exactly $238) LGV
INSPECTOR H.G.W. $0.99 8 100% 240 $238 (exactly $238) NumbtMK
Life and death are predetermined by heaven $5.99 1 100% 30 $180 (exactly $180) Southern Vermilion Bird
Goblin Adventure: Free from Lore $2.99 2 100% 60 $179 (exactly $179) Methodologydiffuser
Soul's Gambit $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Team Husk
Rome: Nightmares of Empire $3.99 1 100% 30 $120 (exactly $120) Hubert G
The Green Wizard Gnome $3.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Mobicone

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