Do I ship it?

Games › Arcade › Arcade + LGBTQ+

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an LGBTQ+ Arcade game?

Arcade + LGBTQ+

Of 72 developers who shipped an LGBTQ+ 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.. 61 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×4.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $450. Revenue is up 110% on the market; 61 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 110% on the market, 61 announced, ×1.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Arcade + LGBTQ+
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 72
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $8.5k → $6.3k → $718 → $898 → $3.3k → $2.3k → $2.1k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Arcade + LGBTQ+: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 72
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,063)
Top 25% $17k (exactly $17,498)
Top 5% $171k (exactly $171,336)
Developers, 2 yr 72
Released games 228
Announced 61
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 110% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
LGBTQ+
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Arcade; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.80 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, 2D, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $15.80 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 16,242 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $170k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 53 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 61 games are announced against 37 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. + DeckbuildingFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  9. + Card BattlerFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  10. + LootFair147 devs · median $1.9k · 215 announced
  11. + VampiresFair34 devs · median $1.9k · 35 announced
  12. + RomanceFair58 devs · median $1.8k · 49 announced

All 270 pairs on the Arcade page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- 2021 · $57M Mortal Kombat 1 2023 · $51M Psychonauts 2 2021 · $22M JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R 2022 · $22M UNBEATABLE 2025 · $5.5M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- older $39.99 47,650 88% 1.4M $57M (exactly $57,165,705) Arc System Works
Mortal Kombat 1 older $49.99 34,197 74% 1.0M $51M (exactly $51,285,241) NetherRealm Studios, QLOC
Psychonauts 2 older $59.99 12,333 95% 370k $22M (exactly $22,195,700) Double Fine Productions
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R older $49.99 14,344 91% 430k $22M (exactly $21,511,697) CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd.
UNBEATABLE $27.99 6,552 92% 197k $5.5M (exactly $5,501,714) D-CELL GAMES
GRID Legends older $59.99 2,952 76% 89k $5.3M (exactly $5,312,714) Codemasters
Rift of the NecroDancer $19.99 5,844 93% 175k $3.5M (exactly $3,504,647) Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Studios I… (Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Studios Inc.)
Sayonara Wild Hearts older $12.99 8,023 96% 241k $3.1M (exactly $3,126,563) Simogo
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions older $29.99 2,790 73% 84k $2.5M (exactly $2,510,163) Unbroken Studios
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World™: The Game – Complete Edition older $14.99 3,262 75% 98k $1.5M (exactly $1,466,921) Engine Software, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubis… (Engine Software, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Chengdu, Ubisoft Pune Production)
Cursed Words: The Word Game That Isn't $14.99 698 95% 21k $314k (exactly $313,891) Buried Things
HYPERBEAT $14.99 381 99% 11k $171k (exactly $171,336) Dreamware Media
Starlight Revolver · EA $12.99 404 54% 12k $157k (exactly $157,439) Pahdo Labs
Kings of Hell · EA $20.50 154 91% 4.6k $95k (exactly $94,710) StrawberryOctopus Productions
Nakara $9.99 310 91% 9.3k $93k (exactly $92,907) R3dspike
PROJEKT GODHAND $15.80 158 96% 4.7k $75k (exactly $74,892) Anarch Entertainment
Monaco 2 $14.99 156 63% 4.7k $70k (exactly $70,153) Pocketwatch Games
Furry Aim Trainer $0.99 1,585 93% 48k $47k (exactly $47,074) Pantsu Productions

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