Games › Arcade › Arcade + Mars
Should I ship a Mars Arcade game?
Arcade + Mars
Only 14 developers shipped a Mars Arcade game 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, Deep Space Tavern, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60; 1 in 20 cleared $3.7k, ×6.0 the market median. Revenue is up 5270% on the market; 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $60 (exactly $60) |
|---|---|
| Median | $599 (exactly $599) |
| Top 25% | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) |
| Top 5% | $3.8k (exactly $3,774) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 65 |
| Announced | 16 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 5270% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 6%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Arcade; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Bullet Hell, Management
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 64 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $60. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Arcade with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + TrainsFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + MiningFair
- + FaithFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + EconomyFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + LootFair
- + VampiresFair
Comparable games
Jamestown 2011 · $195k 
Pinball FX Classic VR 2016 · $169k 
SOL CRESTA 2022 · $56k 
1000 days to escape 2019 · $55k 
MARS 2120 2024 · $22k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Jamestown | older | $9.99 | 652 94% | 20k | $195k (exactly $195,404) | Final Form Games |
| | Pinball FX Classic VR | older | $14.99 | 376 84% | 11k | $169k (exactly $169,087) | Zen Studios |
| | SOL CRESTA | older | $17.99 | 104 77% | 3.1k | $56k (exactly $56,129) | PlatinumGames Inc. |
| | 1000 days to escape | older | $4.99 | 367 84% | 11k | $55k (exactly $54,940) | Lemon Squeezy |
| | MARS 2120 | older | $14.99 | 50 78% | 1.5k | $22k (exactly $22,485) | QUByte Interactive |
 | G WARRIOR | older | $4.99 | 106 90% | 3.2k | $16k (exactly $15,868) | Liao Kai, LKK GAME |
 | Caverns of Mars: Recharged | older | $9.99 | 34 88% | 1.0k | $10k (exactly $10,190) | SneakyBox |
 | Devader | older | $7.99 | 32 93% | 960 | $7.7k (exactly $7,670) | Falkenbrew |
 | Only One Burn | older | $9.99 | 23 86% | 690 | $6.9k (exactly $6,893) | Leyline Studios |
 | T. B. P. | older | $24.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $6.0k (exactly $5,998) | Laush Dmitriy Sergeevich |
 | Deep Space Tavern | $5.99 | 21 90% | 630 | $3.8k (exactly $3,774) | World Away Games | |
 | Project Neon | $19.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $3.0k (exactly $2,998) | FULLSET | |
 | Battle for Asciion | $4.99 | 12 91% | 360 | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) | Relevo | |
 | Asymptote | $4.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) | Crazish Games | |
 | Off World Racing | · EA | $14.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $899 (exactly $899) | Off World Racing Company |
 | Gravity Cab | $3.99 | 6 83% | 180 | $718 (exactly $718) | Tamas Kincses | |
 | Critical Descent | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | Endless Abyss Games | |
 | Space Shooter - Tryü Sora | $2.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $179 (exactly $179) | DeadFly.Games | |
 | Pink Devil | $1.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | Lola Fisher | |
 | FalconLander | $1.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | Ned Wire |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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