Games › Asynchronous Multiplayer › Asynchronous Multiplayer + Turn-Based
Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer Turn-Based game?
Asynchronous Multiplayer + Turn-Based
Only 13 developers shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer Turn-Based game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Backpack Battles, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 10 more are announced.
Verdict: strong odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $60k, ×95 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 7 in 10 cleared $29k. Revenue is up 170% on the market; 10 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×1.3 per shipper.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $30k (exactly $29,680) |
|---|---|
| Median | $60k (exactly $59,810) |
| Top 25% | $183k (exactly $183,416) |
| Top 5% | $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 13 |
| Released games | 58 |
| Announced | 10 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
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 170% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, 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
- Turn-Based
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Asynchronous Multiplayer, Turn-Based; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Battler, Inventory Management
- Price point
- $14.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $14.99.
The top 10 games average 90% positive over 21,336 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $30k. 4 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 10 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Asynchronous Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + 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
- + NaturePoor odds
Comparable games
| 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 | |
| | Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector | older | $39.99 | 5,064 88% | 152k | $6.1M (exactly $6,075,281) | Slitherine Ltd. |
| | Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith | older | $39.99 | 1,924 94% | 58k | $2.3M (exactly $2,308,223) | Illwinter Game Design |
| | Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator | older | $19.99 | 2,878 83% | 86k | $1.7M (exactly $1,725,937) | Konfa Games |
| | Shadow Empire | older | $39.99 | 1,431 82% | 43k | $1.7M (exactly $1,716,771) | VR Designs |
| | Through the Ages | older | $15.99 | 2,188 90% | 66k | $1.0M (exactly $1,049,584) | CGE Digital |
| | Frozen Synapse | older | $24.99 | 1,108 89% | 33k | $831k (exactly $830,668) | Mode 7 |
| | Twilight Struggle | older | $9.99 | 2,568 86% | 77k | $770k (exactly $769,630) | Playdek, Inc. |
| | Field of Glory II | older | $29.99 | 705 87% | 21k | $634k (exactly $634,288) | Byzantine Games |
| | D&D Lords of Waterdeep | older | $9.99 | 1,543 93% | 46k | $462k (exactly $462,437) | Playdek, Inc. |
| | The Conquest of Go | $14.99 | 581 94% | 17k | $261k (exactly $261,276) | Wolfey Studios | |
| | Turnbound | $14.99 | 446 78% | 13k | $201k (exactly $200,566) | 1TK | |
| | Apokerlypse | $9.99 | 612 81% | 18k | $183k (exactly $183,416) | Breaker Games | |
| | Yield! Fall of Rome | $19.99 | 219 69% | 6.6k | $131k (exactly $131,334) | Billionworlds | |
| | Tiny Auto Knights | $14.99 | 199 82% | 6.0k | $89k (exactly $89,490) | Mumpitz Games | |
| | Valefor | $14.99 | 133 66% | 4.0k | $60k (exactly $59,810) | Valefor Ltd | |
| | Barrage | $14.99 | 78 80% | 2.3k | $35k (exactly $35,077) | Cranio Lab | |
| | Evolve Lab | · EA | $14.99 | 69 94% | 2.1k | $31k (exactly $31,029) | SiRen Games |
| | Some of You May Die | $14.99 | 66 69% | 2.0k | $30k (exactly $29,680) | Octavia Blue |
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.