Games › Trading › Trading + Arcade
Should I ship a Trading Arcade game?
Trading + Arcade
Only 15 developers shipped a Trading 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, Crime Shop Simulator: A Prison Boss Game, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 45 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $240 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 45 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $59 (exactly $59) |
|---|---|
| Median | $240 (exactly $240) |
| Top 25% | $3.7k (exactly $3,711) |
| Top 5% | $94k (exactly $94,153) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 15 |
| Released games | 63 |
| Announced | 45 |
| 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 down 75% on the market, supply 175% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 40%, 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
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Trading, Arcade
- Price point
- $5.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 77% positive over 390 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $59. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 45 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Trading with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + MiningFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + Character CustomizationPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + FlightPoor odds
- + SportsPoor odds
- + CollectathonPoor odds
- + PhysicsPoor odds
- + DrivingPoor odds
- + LootPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rebel Galaxy | older | $19.99 | 7,255 85% | 218k | $4.4M (exactly $4,350,824) | Double Damage Games |
| | Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator | older | $19.99 | 827 92% | 25k | $496k (exactly $495,952) | Strange Scaffold |
| | Crypto Mining Simulator | older | $4.99 | 1,419 65% | 43k | $212k (exactly $212,424) | Satosha Nakamoti |
| | Crime Shop Simulator: A Prison Boss Game | $19.99 | 157 85% | 4.7k | $94k (exactly $94,153) | TREBUCHET | |
| | Stellar Wanderer DX | $19.99 | 60 71% | 1.8k | $36k (exactly $35,982) | Dream Builder Studios | |
| | Parcel Delivery Simulator | $6.99 | 114 61% | 3.4k | $24k (exactly $23,906) | Digital Melody | |
| | Diamo XL | older | $0.99 | 547 93% | 16k | $16k (exactly $16,246) | Adamvision Studios |
| | Arcade Redemption | older | $9.99 | 26 61% | 780 | $7.8k (exactly $7,792) | Pixidraft Studios |
| | Heck Deck | older | $3.99 | 64 92% | 1.9k | $7.7k (exactly $7,661) | torcado |
| | E-Startup | older | $1.99 | 127 44% | 3.8k | $7.6k (exactly $7,582) | Polytale Games |
| | HorSteal | $3.99 | 31 93% | 930 | $3.7k (exactly $3,711) | JebiDeungDeung, Jebi Studio | |
| | Buscabit: A treasure hunter adventure | $5.99 | 9 88% | 270 | $1.6k (exactly $1,617) | Vaquita Games | |
| | Egglings | $2.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $1.3k (exactly $1,256) | Maurice Huchler | |
| | GOD CANDLE | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | cin | |
| | Stock Fighter | $7.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $240 (exactly $240) | McTeddy Games | |
| | Shroom man's destination | · EA | $3.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $120 (exactly $120) | Mateusz Życzewski |
| | Yolo Mode | $1.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $119 (exactly $119) | Billmeade Gaming |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.