Do I ship it?

GamesBuildingBuilding + Runner

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Building Runner?

Building + Runner

Only 13 developers shipped a Building Runner 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, Bober Constructions, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 15 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $150 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 6 developers shipped in the last year and 15 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 15 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Building + Runner
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.9k → $719 → $150 → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Building + Runner: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $30 (exactly $30)
Median $150 (exactly $150)
Top 25% $719 (exactly $719)
Top 5% $9.0k (exactly $8,991)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 36
Announced 15
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $3.99

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 10% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Building
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Runner
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
Building, Runner
Price point
$3.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 72% positive over 77 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $150, 1 in 4 over $710, 1 in 20 over $8.9k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 15 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Building with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds66 devs · median $28k · 70 announced
  2. + CatsFair52 devs · median $4.5k · 59 announced
  3. + TabletopFair56 devs · median $1.9k · 58 announced
  4. + Grid-Based MovementFair50 devs · median $719 · 57 announced
  5. + Interactive FictionFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced
  6. + Vehicular CombatPoor odds14 devs · median $303k · 40 announced
  7. + JRPGPoor odds10 devs · median $89k · 20 announced
  8. + Dating SimPoor odds28 devs · median $85k · 61 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds112 devs · median $71k · 251 announced
  10. + Real-TimePoor odds14 devs · median $62k · 20 announced
  11. + CrimePoor odds13 devs · median $55k · 52 announced
  12. + SailingPoor odds13 devs · median $52k · 40 announced

All 210 pairs on the Building page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Otherwar older $5.99 59 66% 1.8k $11k (exactly $10,602) kantal collective
Bober Constructions $9.99 30 70% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) Simplicity Games
Butanooo! Simulator older $14.99 12 58% 360 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) Pigeon-G
Ultimate Monkey Race older $4.99 33 72% 990 $4.9k (exactly $4,940) CashcowGames
Sky To Fly: Faster Than Wind older $3.99 41 60% 1.2k $4.9k (exactly $4,908) AIVIK LLC
Project Bridge older $9.99 13 76% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) NE Games
Lucky Villager older $4.99 11 81% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) Symphony of Death Games
Bricked Up $3.99 7 85% 210 $838 (exactly $838) ComePlay Games
Барабан: Майстер-торгаш $0.99 27 77% 810 $802 (exactly $802) Brenntkopf Development
Vaporwave World older $0.99 26 88% 780 $772 (exactly $772) Meng Games
Mistress Of The Tower $5.99 4 100% 120 $719 (exactly $719) Pipot Studio
UP TO THE SKY · EA $3.99 3 0% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Yiko Games
Fragile Packages: Handle with Care $4.99 2 100% 60 $299 (exactly $299) Jon Warner Studios
World Sprint $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) AKD Studios LLC
Apex Ascent $3.99 1 0% 30 $120 (exactly $120) Avenax
Trytka $1.99 1 0% 30 $60 (exactly $60) Trytka Games
The Devil Ball $0.99 1 100% 30 $30 (exactly $30) Orion, Yas Rose

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