Do I ship it?

GamesClass-BasedClass-Based + Board Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Board Game Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Board Game

Only 17 developers shipped a Board Game Class-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, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×1.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $1.1M, ×742 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 27 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.2 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 27 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Board Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.0k → $1.4M → $3.3k → $5.4k → $0 (still earning) → $479 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Board Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $479 (exactly $479)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Top 25% $5.4k (exactly $5,396)
Top 5% $1.1M (exactly $1,111,130)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 41
Announced 27
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 flat on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Board Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based, Board Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Tabletop, Party-Based RPG
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 1980s, Isometric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 1,699 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $480, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $5.3k, 1 in 20 over $1.1M.

3 in 10 developers made under $480. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair19 devs · median $6.6k · 22 announced
  2. + Bullet HeavenFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 38 announced
  3. + SupernaturalLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  4. + 2D PlatformerLong shot26 devs · median $539 · 30 announced
  5. + FPSPoor odds22 devs · median $70k · 70 announced
  6. + MMORPGPoor odds7 devs · median $61k · 57 announced
  7. + Base BuildingPoor odds18 devs · median $33k · 44 announced
  8. + WarPoor odds17 devs · median $32k · 59 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds16 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  11. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  12. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Gloomhaven older $34.99 13,628 82% 409k $14M (exactly $14,305,312) Flaming Fowl Studios, Saber Interactive
Stolen Realm older $19.99 3,470 84% 104k $2.1M (exactly $2,080,959) Burst2Flame Games
Demeo older $39.99 1,703 87% 51k $2.0M (exactly $2,043,089) Resolution Games
Dice & Fold older $12.99 3,491 83% 105k $1.4M (exactly $1,360,443) Tinymice Entertainment
Dokapon Kingdom: Connect older $49.99 801 86% 24k $1.2M (exactly $1,201,260) Idea Factory, Compile Heart, Sting
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked $29.99 1,235 82% 37k $1.1M (exactly $1,111,130) Resolution Games
Talisman: Digital 5th Edition $29.99 227 70% 6.8k $204k (exactly $204,232) Nomad Games
Dark Quest 4 $19.99 136 75% 4.1k $82k (exactly $81,559) Brain Seal Ltd
Roll Player - The Board Game older $14.99 180 91% 5.4k $81k (exactly $80,946) Mipmap Digital
Space Food Truck older $9.99 216 71% 6.5k $65k (exactly $64,735) One Man Left Studios
Board Game Society $14.99 29 62% 870 $13k (exactly $13,041) Jetebra Games
King's Subsidy $11.99 15 80% 450 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) Marcin Henzel
Card Rogue $4.99 22 63% 660 $3.3k (exactly $3,293) Game Tsukuru Kun
Petrified Pawns $5.99 17 88% 510 $3.1k (exactly $3,055) Bepansrad Studio
Beyond The Threshold $4.99 13 92% 390 $1.9k (exactly $1,946) William Ritson
Dragon Spira $19.99 3 100% 90 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) Exe Create Inc.
Disintegral $11.99 2 100% 60 $719 (exactly $719) Will Sykes Games

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