Do I ship it?

Games › Asynchronous Multiplayer › Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer Card Battler?

Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Battler

Of 33 developers who shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer Card Battler 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.. 56 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $31k, ×49 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $3.0k; 1 in 20 cleared $8.5M, ×13558 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 56 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 49.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 56 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 33
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $62k → $40k (still earning) → $17k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 33
Bottom 30% $3.0k (exactly $2,994)
Median $31k (exactly $31,029)
Top 25% $103k (exactly $103,396)
Top 5% $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170)
Developers, 2 yr 33
Released games 64
Announced 56
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

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 10% on the market, supply 215% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 39%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Asynchronous Multiplayer
effort 5 / 10 · low · a backend with accounts and persistent turns
Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Asynchronous Multiplayer, Card Battler; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Strategy, Auto Battler
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 40,184 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $3.0k, median $31k, 1 in 4 over $100k, 1 in 20 over $8.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $3.0k. 6 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 56 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Asynchronous Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Turn-BasedStrong odds13 devs · median $60k · 10 announced
  2. + Artificial IntelligenceStrong odds10 devs · median $25k · 12 announced
  3. + Immersive SimFair8 devs · median $17k · 10 announced
  4. + Board GameFair30 devs · median $6.7k · 33 announced
  5. + WarFair14 devs · median $6.0k · 20 announced
  6. + Turn-Based StrategyFair43 devs · median $3.6k · 54 announced
  7. + Strategy RPGFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  8. + SpaceLong shot15 devs · median $299 · 18 announced
  9. + Tactical RPGPoor odds10 devs · median $63k · 16 announced
  10. + Inventory ManagementPoor odds21 devs · median $56k · 48 announced
  11. + AutomationPoor odds12 devs · median $56k · 18 announced
  12. + MedievalPoor odds13 devs · median $53k · 38 announced

All 76 pairs on the Asynchronous Multiplayer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

The Bazaar 2025 · $9.0M Backpack Battles 2025 · $8.5M Oaken Tower 2026 · EA · $906k Ascension: Deckbuilding Game 2014 · $430k Down with the Ship 2026 · EA · $367k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Bazaar $19.99 14,931 70% 448k $9.0M (exactly $8,954,121) Tempo
Backpack Battles $14.99 18,933 91% 568k $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170) PlayWithFurcifer
Oaken Tower · EA $9.99 3,024 89% 91k $906k (exactly $906,293) Bocary Studios
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game older $9.99 1,435 88% 43k $430k (exactly $430,070) Playdek, Inc.
Down with the Ship · EA $14.99 817 93% 25k $367k (exactly $367,405) Iron Anchor Games
Toy Smash Kaboom! $13.99 550 84% 17k $231k (exactly $230,835) Free Particle
Turnbound $14.99 446 78% 13k $201k (exactly $200,566) 1TK
Apokerlypse $9.99 612 81% 18k $183k (exactly $183,416) Breaker Games
Batomon Showdown $14.99 327 87% 9.8k $147k (exactly $147,052) berrymint
Grail $9.99 345 89% 10k $103k (exactly $103,396) Sokpop Collective
Tiny Auto Knights $14.99 199 82% 6.0k $89k (exactly $89,490) Mumpitz Games

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