Games › Co-op › Co-op + Asynchronous Multiplayer
Should I ship a Co-op Asynchronous Multiplayer game?
Co-op + Asynchronous Multiplayer
Of 20 developers who shipped a Co-op Asynchronous Multiplayer 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.. 57 more are announced, ×6.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×1.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $9.7M, ×6510 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 57 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $419 (exactly $419) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) |
| Top 25% | $17k (exactly $16,553) |
| Top 5% | $9.8M (exactly $9,752,549) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 70 |
| Announced | 57 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 down 90% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 26%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Co-op
- effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
- Asynchronous Multiplayer
- effort 5 / 10 · low · a backend with accounts and persistent turns
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Co-op, Asynchronous Multiplayer; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Online Co-Op, 4X
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $23.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $23.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 65% positive over 7,079 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 57 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×6.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Co-op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SuperheroFair
- + Boomer ShooterFair
- + GamblingFair
- + NinjaFair
- + TypingLong shot
- + Word GameLong shot
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + World War IIPoor odds
- + AutomationPoor odds
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
Comparable games
Rise of the Ronin 2025 · $9.8M 
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2023 · $8.9M 
Axis & Allies 1942 Online 2021 · $2.9M 
The Past Within 2022 · $2.6M 
Dominions 6 - Rise of the Pantokrator 2024 · $2.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rise of the Ronin | $49.99 | 6,503 64% | 195k | $9.8M (exactly $9,752,549) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
| | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | older | $14.99 | 19,731 68% | 592k | $8.9M (exactly $8,873,031) | Sumo Digital |
| | Axis & Allies 1942 Online | older | $19.99 | 4,810 78% | 144k | $2.9M (exactly $2,884,557) | Beamdog |
| | The Past Within | older | $5.99 | 14,673 94% | 440k | $2.6M (exactly $2,636,738) | Rusty Lake |
| | Dominions 6 - Rise of the Pantokrator | older | $44.99 | 1,686 90% | 51k | $2.3M (exactly $2,275,594) | Illwinter Game Design |
 | Meet Your Maker | older | $19.99 | 3,013 73% | 90k | $1.8M (exactly $1,806,896) | Behaviour Interactive Inc. |
 | Tick Tock: A Tale for Two | older | $5.99 | 10,006 85% | 300k | $1.8M (exactly $1,798,078) | Other Tales Interactive |
 | Conquest of Elysium 5 | older | $29.99 | 1,872 90% | 56k | $1.7M (exactly $1,684,238) | Illwinter Game Design |
 | Frozen Synapse | older | $24.99 | 1,108 89% | 33k | $831k (exactly $830,668) | Mode 7 |
 | We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip | older | $3.99 | 3,979 81% | 119k | $476k (exactly $476,286) | Total Mayhem Games |
 | Yield! Fall of Rome | $19.99 | 219 69% | 6.6k | $131k (exactly $131,334) | Billionworlds | |
 | Space Imperia 4X | $22.99 | 70 92% | 2.1k | $48k (exactly $48,279) | Breich Games | |
 | The Mosquito Gang | $5.99 | 152 70% | 4.6k | $27k (exactly $27,314) | Space Raccoon Game Studio | |
 | Codename: Terranova | $23.99 | 23 69% | 690 | $17k (exactly $16,553) | ACGames | |
 | Super World War | $19.99 | 19 100% | 570 | $11k (exactly $11,394) | Zero Games Studios | |
 | Shatterline | $9.99 | 24 62% | 720 | $7.2k (exactly $7,193) | Frag Lab LLC | |
 | DR Dominoes | $5.99 | 40 100% | 1.2k | $7.2k (exactly $7,188) | Gammes | |
 | F2D - Steer To Persevere | $9.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $4.8k (exactly $4,795) | Zyg Studios | |
 | Wizard Tournament | $6.99 | 13 76% | 390 | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) | Rachop Studios |
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.