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.
| 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.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- CRPG, Arcade
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 9 games average 87% positive over 267 reviews.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + TabletopFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + IncrementalLong shot
- + FMVPoor odds
- + Card BattlerPoor odds
- + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds
- + SpacePoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
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.
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.