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Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer Local Multiplayer game?
Asynchronous Multiplayer + Local Multiplayer
Of 21 developers who shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer Local 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.. 34 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×416 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 34 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $419 (exactly $419) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.4k (exactly $2,395) |
| Top 25% | $27k (exactly $27,314) |
| Top 5% | $261k (exactly $261,276) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 21 |
| Released games | 82 |
| Announced | 34 |
| 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 60% on the market, supply 75% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Local Multiplayer
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Asynchronous Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Strategy, Board Game
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 1,640 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $420. 6 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Asynchronous Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Turn-BasedStrong odds
- + Artificial IntelligenceStrong odds
- + Immersive SimFair
- + Board GameFair
- + WarFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + SpaceLong shot
- + Tactical RPGPoor odds
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
- + AutomationPoor odds
- + MedievalPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 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 |
| | 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 |
| | Rush Rally 3 | older | $14.99 | 969 94% | 29k | $436k (exactly $435,759) | Brownmonster Limited |
| | Ascension: Deckbuilding Game | older | $9.99 | 1,435 88% | 43k | $430k (exactly $430,070) | Playdek, Inc. |
| | Disc Golf Masters | · EA | $24.99 | 427 83% | 13k | $320k (exactly $320,122) | Spinoff Games |
| | Antihero | older | $14.99 | 658 86% | 20k | $296k (exactly $295,903) | Tim Conkling |
| | Small World | older | $9.99 | 931 71% | 28k | $279k (exactly $279,021) | Days of Wonder |
| | The Conquest of Go | $14.99 | 581 94% | 17k | $261k (exactly $261,276) | Wolfey Studios | |
| | Cascadia | $14.99 | 210 98% | 6.3k | $94k (exactly $94,437) | Dire Wolf | |
| | Yomi 2 | $19.99 | 104 92% | 3.1k | $62k (exactly $62,369) | Sirlin Games | |
| | Nature Game System | $19.99 | 49 73% | 1.5k | $29k (exactly $29,385) | North Star Digital Games | |
| | The Mosquito Gang | $5.99 | 152 70% | 4.6k | $27k (exactly $27,314) | Space Raccoon Game Studio | |
| | Super World War | $19.99 | 19 100% | 570 | $11k (exactly $11,394) | Zero Games Studios | |
| | Forest of Deceit | $9.99 | 35 100% | 1.1k | $10k (exactly $10,490) | Ghost Camp | |
| | Chess Kingdom | $4.99 | 45 91% | 1.4k | $6.7k (exactly $6,736) | Pinch Games | |
| | Brutal Ball Manager 2 | · EA | $9.99 | 18 100% | 540 | $5.4k (exactly $5,395) | Stout Kassel Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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