Do I ship it?

GamesArcadeArcade + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance Arcade game?

Arcade + Romance

Of 58 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 49 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×3.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $450. Revenue is up 135% on the market; 49 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 135% on the market, 49 announced, ×1.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Arcade + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 58
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.8k → $1.4k → $624 → $898 → $2.1k → $2.3k → $659 (still earning) → $2.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Arcade + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 58
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,798)
Top 25% $5.8k (exactly $5,846)
Top 5% $34k (exactly $34,466)
Developers, 2 yr 58
Released games 191
Announced 49
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 135% on the market, supply 70% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Romance
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; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Dating Sim, Visual Novel, Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 2,020 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 $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $5.8k, 1 in 20 over $34k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 28 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 49 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. + 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
Gal*Gun Returns older $49.99 240 85% 7.2k $360k (exactly $359,928) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
Souper Game $14.99 550 78% 17k $247k (exactly $247,335) SinBeans Studio
MagicShop2 $15.99 242 88% 7.3k $116k (exactly $116,087) FireArmGames
Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers older $19.99 164 89% 4.9k $98k (exactly $98,351) Fiction Factory Games
AHEGAL older $1.99 1,165 88% 35k $70k (exactly $69,550) OppaiMan 2D
Epido older $1.99 1,114 92% 33k $67k (exactly $66,506) SekaiFrieden
Kinky Fight Club older $19.99 107 78% 3.2k $64k (exactly $64,168) Mr Z Games
Happy Guy older $2.99 620 77% 19k $56k (exactly $55,614) HappyGames
Hentai Girl Division older $1.99 895 81% 27k $53k (exactly $53,432) Mature Games
Gamer Girls [18+]: eSports SEX older $1.99 726 66% 22k $43k (exactly $43,342) Pirates Of The Digital Sea
Cupiclaw $9.99 115 87% 3.5k $34k (exactly $34,466) Typin
Risky Business $6.90 146 73% 4.4k $30k (exactly $30,222) Nouliz
ULTRA0 $9.99 89 96% 2.7k $27k (exactly $26,673) PenGames
Kinky Fight Club 2 $20.00 36 91% 1.1k $22k (exactly $21,600) Skyflare Studios, MrZGames
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
Xvirus $0.99 587 91% 18k $17k (exactly $17,434) Katakinha Games
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

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