Do I ship it?

GamesArcadeArcade + Gothic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Gothic Arcade game?

Arcade + Gothic

Of 49 developers who shipped a Gothic 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.. 51 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $60. Revenue is up 765% on the market; 51 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 765% on the market, 51 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Arcade + Gothic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 49
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.9k → $1.2k → $3.6k → $178 → $1.4k → $1.3k (still earning) → $959 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Arcade + Gothic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 49
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Top 25% $6.6k (exactly $6,593)
Top 5% $254k (exactly $253,673)
Developers, 2 yr 49
Released games 114
Announced 51
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 765% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Gothic
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Arcade; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Roguelite, Action Roguelike
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Dark
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 33,921 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $6.5k, 1 in 20 over $250k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 51 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Arcade with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair59 devs · median $4.3k · 88 announced
  2. + TrainsFair20 devs · median $3.1k · 16 announced
  3. + Visual NovelFair101 devs · median $2.6k · 84 announced
  4. + MiningFair91 devs · median $2.2k · 125 announced
  5. + FaithFair16 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  6. + Turn-BasedFair35 devs · median $2.2k · 32 announced
  7. + EconomyFair199 devs · median $2.1k · 285 announced
  8. + LGBTQ+Fair72 devs · median $2.1k · 61 announced
  9. + DeckbuildingFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  10. + Card BattlerFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  11. + LootFair147 devs · median $1.9k · 215 announced
  12. + VampiresFair34 devs · median $1.9k · 35 announced

All 270 pairs on the Arcade page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Halls of Torment $6.66 30,752 95% 923k $6.1M (exactly $6,144,250) Chasing Carrots
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon older $9.99 3,823 94% 115k $1.1M (exactly $1,145,753) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
KILL KNIGHT $14.99 1,804 93% 54k $811k (exactly $811,259) PlaySide
DEMON'S TILT older $19.99 962 94% 29k $577k (exactly $576,911) WIZNWAR, FLARB LLC
Deathsmiles older $19.99 572 95% 17k $343k (exactly $343,028) CAVE Interactive CO.,LTD.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance $19.99 423 27% 13k $254k (exactly $253,673) Bit Bot Media
Valfaris: Mecha Therion older $19.99 302 94% 9.1k $181k (exactly $181,109) Steel Mantis
Deathsmiles I・II older $39.90 97 95% 2.9k $116k (exactly $116,109) CITY CONNECTION, TAKE×0FF
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood older $4.99 748 77% 22k $112k (exactly $111,976) Mega Cat Studios
Savant - Ascent REMIX older $9.99 330 92% 9.9k $99k (exactly $98,901) D-Pad Studio
IGNOBLE $6.99 331 82% 9.9k $69k (exactly $69,411) Retromagine
Big Tiddy Goth Baddie🖤⛓️ $14.99 152 76% 4.6k $68k (exactly $68,354) BanzaiProject
Flock of the Seraphim $9.99 162 85% 4.9k $49k (exactly $48,551) GuuchanDev
Nun of your Business $5.99 126 73% 3.8k $23k (exactly $22,642) Revolt Games
Vampire's Best Friend $9.99 73 98% 2.2k $22k (exactly $21,878) SinksAdventure
WORMHOLE $9.99 51 98% 1.5k $15k (exactly $15,285) Pocket Moon Games, ThanaThan
Ascendant $9.99 47 70% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) Imagisphere

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