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Should I ship an AI Tower Defense?
Tower Defense + Artificial Intelligence
Only 17 developers shipped an AI Tower Defense 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, Plants vs. Zombies™: Replanted, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.1k, ×6.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $4.1M, ×8709 the market median. Revenue is up 8100% on the market; 27 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $897 (exactly $897) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.1k (exactly $3,144) |
| Top 25% | $68k (exactly $67,766) |
| Top 5% | $4.1M (exactly $4,136,731) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 17 |
| Released games | 59 |
| Announced | 27 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 8100% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Tower Defense
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- 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
- Tower Defense; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Action, Building
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Relaxing
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 70% positive over 8,571 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Tower Defense with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + DwarvesStrong odds
- + MiningFair
- + Survival HorrorFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + TanksFair
- + MechsFair
- + IdlerFair
- + PuzzleFair
- + Gun CustomizationFair
- + LogicFair
- + On-Rails ShooterFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
Comparable games
Starship Troopers: Terran Command 2022 · $8.3M 
Plants vs. Zombies™: Replanted 2025 · $4.1M 
Northend Tower Defense 2024 · $314k 
Settlements Rising 2025 · $237k 
Swarm Bunker: Lust Defense 2026 · $116k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Starship Troopers: Terran Command | older | $29.99 | 9,214 87% | 276k | $8.3M (exactly $8,289,836) | The Artistocrats |
| | Plants vs. Zombies™: Replanted | $19.99 | 6,898 66% | 207k | $4.1M (exactly $4,136,731) | PopCap Games, The Lost Pixels | |
| | Northend Tower Defense | older | $7.99 | 1,309 75% | 39k | $314k (exactly $313,767) | Northend Games |
| | Settlements Rising | $18.99 | 416 80% | 12k | $237k (exactly $236,995) | The Catalyst Crew | |
| | Swarm Bunker: Lust Defense | $9.99 | 386 88% | 12k | $116k (exactly $115,684) | 001Studio-NSFW | |
 | Crownhold | $6.99 | 471 84% | 14k | $99k (exactly $98,769) | Tobias Mikula | |
 | Artificial Extinction 2 | $19.99 | 113 77% | 3.4k | $68k (exactly $67,766) | 100Hr Games Inc | |
 | IRON GUARD | older | $14.99 | 141 95% | 4.2k | $63k (exactly $63,408) | Xlab Digital |
 | PROFITS 2167: Planetary Resource Optimization & Freight Infrastructure Technician Simulator | · EA | $6.99 | 209 98% | 6.3k | $44k (exactly $43,827) | Simple Software Solutions |
 | Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon | older | $14.99 | 80 82% | 2.4k | $36k (exactly $35,976) | · |
 | 2089 - Space Divided | $17.99 | 28 75% | 840 | $15k (exactly $15,112) | CoastGames GmbH | |
 | Battle Architect: Dalasito | · EA | $9.99 | 19 52% | 570 | $5.7k (exactly $5,694) | Dalas |
 | Pixel Empires | $4.99 | 21 33% | 630 | $3.1k (exactly $3,144) | PiqFocus Interactive | |
 | A Fistful Of Yankees | $6.99 | 10 90% | 300 | $2.1k (exactly $2,097) | Pulsar Creation |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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