Do I ship it?

Games › Asynchronous Multiplayer › Asynchronous Multiplayer + Roguelike

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer Roguelike?

Asynchronous Multiplayer + Roguelike

Of 41 developers who shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer Roguelike 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.. 71 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $8.9k, ×14 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $560k, ×898 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 71 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 14.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 71 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Asynchronous Multiplayer + Roguelike
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 41
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $564k → $206k → $13k → $6.3k (still earning) → $17k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Asynchronous Multiplayer + Roguelike: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 41
Bottom 30% $898 (exactly $898)
Median $8.9k (exactly $8,902)
Top 25% $89k (exactly $89,490)
Top 5% $564k (exactly $563,859)
Developers, 2 yr 41
Released games 64
Announced 71
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 65% on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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
Roguelike
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Asynchronous Multiplayer, Roguelike; 7 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 Cute, 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 88% positive over 25,967 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $8.9k, 1 in 4 over $89k, 1 in 20 over $560k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 6 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 71 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 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

Backpack Battles 2025 · $8.5M Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator 2022 · $1.7M Conquest of Elysium 5 2021 · $1.7M Dwarven Realms 2024 · $854k Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island 2024 · $564k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Backpack Battles $14.99 18,933 91% 568k $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170) PlayWithFurcifer
Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator older $19.99 2,878 83% 86k $1.7M (exactly $1,725,937) Konfa Games
Conquest of Elysium 5 older $29.99 1,872 90% 56k $1.7M (exactly $1,684,238) Illwinter Game Design
Dwarven Realms $9.99 2,850 81% 86k $854k (exactly $854,145) Crater Studios
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island $39.99 470 85% 14k $564k (exactly $563,859) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Wretch: Divine Ascent $14.99 975 75% 29k $438k (exactly $438,458) Ogopogo
Wargroove 2 older $19.99 403 69% 12k $242k (exactly $241,679) Chucklefish, Robotality
Toy Smash Kaboom! $13.99 550 84% 17k $231k (exactly $230,835) Free Particle
Monster Battles $14.99 459 74% 14k $206k (exactly $206,412) Fourteen
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

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