Do I ship it?

Games › Asynchronous Multiplayer › Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer Card Game?

Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Game

Of 33 developers who shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer Card 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.. 54 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $6.3k, ×10 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $230k, ×368 the market median. Revenue is up 720% on the market; 54 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 10.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 720% on the market, 54 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Game
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: $300 → $178 → $119 → $29k → $6.3k (still earning) → $10k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Asynchronous Multiplayer + Card Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 33
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $6.3k (exactly $6,294)
Top 25% $49k (exactly $49,279)
Top 5% $231k (exactly $230,835)
Developers, 2 yr 33
Released games 92
Announced 54
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 up 720% on the market, supply 225% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 37%, 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 Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Asynchronous Multiplayer, Card Game; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Strategy, Card Battler
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 72% positive over 17,446 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $6.3k, 1 in 4 over $49k, 1 in 20 over $230k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 54 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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 Root 2020 · $2.3M Through the Ages 2018 · $1.0M Twilight Struggle 2016 · $770k Ascension: Deckbuilding Game 2014 · $430k
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
Root older $14.99 5,049 90% 151k $2.3M (exactly $2,270,535) Dire Wolf
Through the Ages older $15.99 2,188 90% 66k $1.0M (exactly $1,049,584) CGE Digital
Twilight Struggle older $9.99 2,568 86% 77k $770k (exactly $769,630) Playdek, Inc.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game older $9.99 1,435 88% 43k $430k (exactly $430,070) Playdek, Inc.
Chaos Reborn older $9.99 819 74% 25k $245k (exactly $245,454) Snapshot Games Inc.
Toy Smash Kaboom! $13.99 550 84% 17k $231k (exactly $230,835) Free Particle
Heroes of Normandie older $29.99 212 72% 6.4k $191k (exactly $190,736) Cat Rabbit
Apokerlypse $9.99 612 81% 18k $183k (exactly $183,416) Breaker Games
Evolution Board Game older $14.99 348 81% 10k $156k (exactly $156,496) North Star Digital Studios
Grail $9.99 345 89% 10k $103k (exactly $103,396) Sokpop Collective
Three Kingdoms:BOND · EA $7.49 408 83% 12k $92k (exactly $91,678) Get Wrapped Up Inc.
Yomi 2 $19.99 104 92% 3.1k $62k (exactly $62,369) Sirlin Games
Lunchbreak Tactics $14.99 124 76% 3.7k $56k (exactly $55,763) Borealys Games
Stash: A Card Looter $9.99 186 79% 5.6k $56k (exactly $55,744) WheeGaming
13 柱庭 / Cabal 13 · EA $11.99 137 78% 4.1k $49k (exactly $49,279) HuanMos Game
Nature Game System $19.99 49 73% 1.5k $29k (exactly $29,385) North Star Digital Games

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