Games › Turn-Based Strategy › Turn-Based Strategy + Auto Battler
Should I ship an Auto Battler Turn-Based Strategy?
Turn-Based Strategy + Auto Battler
Of 153 developers who shipped an Auto Battler Turn-Based Strategy 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.. 199 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $4.2k, ×6.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $630; 1 in 20 cleared $510k, ×813 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 199 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $629 (exactly $629) |
|---|---|
| Median | $4.2k (exactly $4,196) |
| Top 25% | $36k (exactly $35,976) |
| Top 5% | $511k (exactly $510,859) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 153 |
| Released games | 299 |
| Announced | 199 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 75% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Turn-Based Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Auto Battler
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Turn-Based Strategy, Auto Battler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, Roguelike
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 6 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 $8.99.
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 34,892 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $630. 7 in 10 of the 82 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 199 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Turn-Based Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + Cold WarFair
- + RomeFair
- + LootFair
- + MiningFair
- + DwarvesFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + TanksFair
- + SokobanFair
- + Top-Down ShooterFair
- + SpaceFair
Comparable games
Mechabellum 2024 · $8.0M 
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga 2022 · $7.7M 
Esports Godfather 2024 · $2.6M 
Hero's Hour 2022 · $2.5M 
Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith 2017 · $2.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Mechabellum | $14.99 | 17,856 84% | 536k | $8.0M (exactly $8,029,843) | Game River | |
| | Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga | older | $19.99 | 12,880 94% | 386k | $7.7M (exactly $7,724,136) | Dancing Dragon Games |
| | Esports Godfather | older | $19.99 | 4,319 90% | 130k | $2.6M (exactly $2,590,104) | Asteroid Game Studio |
| | Hero's Hour | older | $17.99 | 4,643 79% | 139k | $2.5M (exactly $2,505,827) | Benjamin "ThingOnItsOwn" Hauer |
| | Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith | older | $39.99 | 1,924 94% | 58k | $2.3M (exactly $2,308,223) | Illwinter Game Design |
 | Dominions 6 - Rise of the Pantokrator | older | $44.99 | 1,686 90% | 51k | $2.3M (exactly $2,275,594) | Illwinter Game Design |
 | Songs of Silence | $29.99 | 2,367 79% | 71k | $2.1M (exactly $2,129,590) | Chimera Entertainment | |
 | Gladiator Guild Manager | older | $14.99 | 3,808 80% | 114k | $1.7M (exactly $1,712,458) | Entertainment Forge |
 | The Last Flame | $19.99 | 2,744 85% | 82k | $1.6M (exactly $1,645,577) | Hotloop | |
 | The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily | $29.99 | 1,529 85% | 46k | $1.4M (exactly $1,375,641) | Alliance Arts, One or Eight, WSS Playgr… (Alliance Arts, One or Eight, WSS Playground) | |
 | Commander Quest | $11.99 | 2,804 74% | 84k | $1.0M (exactly $1,008,599) | Flyway Games, Inc. | |
 | Ballionaire | $12.34 | 2,398 85% | 72k | $888k (exactly $887,740) | newobject | |
 | Cauldron | $14.99 | 1,678 92% | 50k | $755k (exactly $754,597) | SleepyDad Games | |
 | Knightica | $14.99 | 1,136 74% | 34k | $511k (exactly $510,859) | Mad Mango Games | |
 | Wretch: Divine Ascent | $14.99 | 975 75% | 29k | $438k (exactly $438,458) | Ogopogo | |
 | Overlooting | $9.99 | 1,405 81% | 42k | $421k (exactly $421,078) | Posing Possums |
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.