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Should I ship a Dating Sim Arcade game?
Arcade + Dating Sim
Of 30 developers who shipped a Dating Sim Arcade game in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×7.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×521 the market median. Revenue is up 170% on the market; 34 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.6k (exactly $3,588) |
| Top 25% | $14k (exactly $13,840) |
| Top 5% | $247k (exactly $247,335) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 130 |
| Announced | 34 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 170% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Arcade
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Dating Sim
- effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Arcade, Dating Sim; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Incremental, Simulation, Visual Novel
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 74% positive over 6,505 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.7k. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Arcade with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + TrainsFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + MiningFair
- + FaithFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + EconomyFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + LootFair
- + VampiresFair
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Path of Kung Fu | $14.99 | 4,880 72% | 146k | $2.2M (exactly $2,194,536) | 游鲤化龙工作室 | |
| | Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator | older | $19.99 | 827 92% | 25k | $496k (exactly $495,952) | Strange Scaffold |
| | Yogurt! | older | $4.99 | 2,542 75% | 76k | $381k (exactly $380,537) | 430Games, __Ja__ga__imo__ |
| | Gal*Gun Returns | older | $49.99 | 240 85% | 7.2k | $360k (exactly $359,928) | INTI CREATES CO., LTD. |
| | Wings of Seduction: Bust 'em out! | older | $12.99 | 904 93% | 27k | $352k (exactly $352,289) | Ramen Cat Studio |
| | Rabbit Burn | older | $14.99 | 680 89% | 20k | $306k (exactly $305,796) | Bio Sapiens |
| | Souper Game | $14.99 | 550 78% | 17k | $247k (exactly $247,335) | SinBeans Studio | |
| | Get To Work, Succubus-Chan! | older | $9.99 | 480 78% | 14k | $144k (exactly $143,856) | SmallSqurriel, Eternal Alice Game |
| | Horny Warp: Hentai Fantasy | older | $6.99 | 654 92% | 20k | $137k (exactly $137,144) | LuminatiGames |
| | Hentai Asmodeus | older | $1.99 | 1,757 83% | 53k | $105k (exactly $104,893) | HEGA Studio |
| | Happy Endings | $6.99 | 429 86% | 13k | $90k (exactly $89,961) | Late Night Studios | |
| | Big Tiddy Goth Baddie🖤⛓️ | $14.99 | 152 76% | 4.6k | $68k (exactly $68,354) | BanzaiProject | |
| | Risky Business | $6.90 | 146 73% | 4.4k | $30k (exactly $30,222) | Nouliz | |
| | Body Pay "OMG! The girl with the big titties is too hitting on me!" | $4.99 | 117 73% | 3.5k | $18k (exactly $17,515) | Cheese Burger Studio | |
| | Spellbound Beauties | $6.99 | 72 83% | 2.2k | $15k (exactly $15,098) | Lunar Kiss Games | |
| | XXX Pussy House | $6.99 | 66 71% | 2.0k | $14k (exactly $13,840) | Dreamers Workshop | |
| | Crypterion | $12.99 | 31 96% | 930 | $12k (exactly $12,081) | Roencia | |
| | Creepy Creepy Love | $4.99 | 62 93% | 1.9k | $9.3k (exactly $9,281) | BYYONI Entertainment |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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