Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Bullet Hell
Should I ship a Bullet Hell Strategy RPG?
Strategy RPG + Bullet Hell
Of 40 developers who shipped a Bullet Hell Strategy RPG 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.. 31 more are announced.
Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.0k, ×3.1 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $300. Revenue is up 350% on the market; 31 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.0k (exactly $1,978) |
| Top 25% | $8.8k (exactly $8,832) |
| Top 5% | $611k (exactly $610,925) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 40 |
| Released games | 64 |
| Announced | 31 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 350% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Strategy RPG
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Bullet Hell
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy RPG, Bullet Hell; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, RPG, Action Roguelike
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 16,902 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Strategy RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SportsFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + EconomyFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + ConspiracyFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
- + Martial ArtsPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Magicraft | $15.99 | 15,051 92% | 452k | $7.2M (exactly $7,219,965) | Wave Games | |
| | Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - | $34.99 | 582 98% | 17k | $611k (exactly $610,925) | さんぼん堂 | |
| | DreamEcho | $11.99 | 369 79% | 11k | $133k (exactly $132,729) | HotWaterStudio | |
| | Godslayer Arena | · EA | $14.99 | 257 76% | 7.7k | $116k (exactly $115,573) | Hippo Rider Games |
| | Three Fairies' Hoppin' Flappin' Great Journey! | older | $17.99 | 189 84% | 5.7k | $102k (exactly $102,003) | yomogi_soft |
| | Touhou Spell Carnival | $49.99 | 49 77% | 1.5k | $73k (exactly $73,485) | Idea Factory, Compile Heart, STING | |
| | 最后的仙门 The last Practice Sect | older | $3.99 | 504 53% | 15k | $60k (exactly $60,329) | 栖鸾工作室 |
| | The Treehouse Man | older | $9.99 | 128 87% | 3.8k | $38k (exactly $38,362) | Hunchback Studio |
| | Evolve or Die | $4.99 | 252 98% | 7.6k | $38k (exactly $37,724) | Seal | |
| | Bonelords | $6.99 | 94 92% | 2.8k | $20k (exactly $19,712) | Z0 Game Studios | |
| | Bronana | $4.99 | 129 68% | 3.9k | $19k (exactly $19,311) | busy bear | |
| | Solomon's Boneyard: Hideous Retro Edition | $7.99 | 60 91% | 1.8k | $14k (exactly $14,382) | Raptisoft | |
| | NightMare King | $4.99 | 59 83% | 1.8k | $8.8k (exactly $8,832) | Starmoon Cat |
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.