Games › Match 3 › Match 3 + Artificial Intelligence
Should I ship an AI Match 3?
Match 3 + Artificial Intelligence
Only 7 developers shipped an AI Match 3 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, Japanese Fun - J64, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 7 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $360 against a market of $480. 7 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $238 (exactly $238) |
|---|---|
| Median | $356 (exactly $356) |
| Top 25% | $1.1k (exactly $1,075) |
| Top 5% | $4.1k (exactly $4,075) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 7 |
| Released games | 45 |
| Announced | 7 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $0.99 |
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 105% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Match 3
- effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades
- Artificial Intelligence
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Match 3
- Price point
- $0.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 206 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 7 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Match 3 with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Interactive FictionFair
- + RomanceFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DemonsFair
- + Time ManagementFair
- + ShooterFair
- + MagicFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + PvPLong shot
- + CombatLong shot
- + DogsLong shot
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Day Repeat Day | older | $7.99 | 36 88% | 1.1k | $8.6k (exactly $8,629) | Kimmo Lahtinen |
| | Japanese Fun - J64 | $7.99 | 17 94% | 510 | $4.1k (exactly $4,075) | Space 64 | |
| | Love x Fantasy: Horny Elf | $1.99 | 44 86% | 1.3k | $2.6k (exactly $2,627) | Mature Games | |
| | Way of Horny: Pleasure Night | $1.99 | 22 81% | 660 | $1.3k (exactly $1,313) | Mature Games | |
| | Way of Horny: Lucky Plumber | $1.99 | 18 88% | 540 | $1.1k (exactly $1,075) | Mature Games | |
| | Way of Horny: Love Paradise | $1.99 | 16 81% | 480 | $955 (exactly $955) | Mature Games | |
| | Way of Horny: First Touch | $0.99 | 23 95% | 690 | $683 (exactly $683) | Mature Games | |
| | Sunny Girl | older | $0.99 | 21 85% | 630 | $624 (exactly $624) | CggtGroup |
| | Hentai Li Mei | $0.99 | 19 89% | 570 | $564 (exactly $564) | Cyber Keks | |
| | Hentai Lunara | $0.99 | 17 82% | 510 | $505 (exactly $505) | Cyber Keks | |
| | Hentai Saki | $0.99 | 16 81% | 480 | $475 (exactly $475) | Cyber Keks | |
| | Hentai Aqua Lorelei | $0.99 | 14 92% | 420 | $416 (exactly $416) | Cyber Keks |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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