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Should I ship a Zombie Bullet Hell?
Bullet Hell + Zombies
Of 122 developers who shipped a Zombie Bullet Hell 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.. 104 more are announced.
Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $630, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $240. Revenue is up 145% on the market; 104 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $629 (exactly $629) |
| Top 25% | $5.0k (exactly $5,032) |
| Top 5% | $280k (exactly $279,713) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 122 |
| Released games | 274 |
| Announced | 104 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 145% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Bullet Hell
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Zombies
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Bullet Hell; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Roguelite, Action Roguelike
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Top-Down, 3D, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 84% positive over 40,350 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 65 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 104 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Bullet Hell with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SuperheroStrong odds
- + FaithFair
- + VampiresFair
- + Creature CollectorFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + PiratesFair
- + CatsFair
- + HackingFair
- + Time ManagementFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + DemonsFair
- + Naval CombatFair
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Deadzone: Rogue | $24.99 | 15,041 82% | 451k | $11M (exactly $11,276,238) | Prophecy Games | |
| | Yet Another Zombie Survivors | $14.99 | 14,123 91% | 424k | $6.4M (exactly $6,351,113) | Awesome Games Studio | |
| | Dead Estate | older | $14.99 | 5,778 95% | 173k | $2.6M (exactly $2,598,367) | Milkbar Lads |
| | Apocalypse Party | older | $9.99 | 4,658 72% | 140k | $1.4M (exactly $1,396,003) | Breaker Games |
| | Deadly Days: Roadtrip | · EA | $14.99 | 2,855 87% | 86k | $1.3M (exactly $1,283,894) | Pixelsplit |
| | R.I.P. - Reincarnation Insurance Program | $14.99 | 2,727 76% | 82k | $1.2M (exactly $1,226,332) | WarmCore Studio | |
| | GOD FORSAKEN | $13.99 | 1,728 67% | 52k | $725k (exactly $725,242) | insight studio | |
| | Be My Horde | · EA older | $9.99 | 2,052 85% | 62k | $615k (exactly $614,984) | Polished Games |
| | FatalZone | $6.99 | 2,125 66% | 64k | $446k (exactly $445,612) | Midhard Games | |
| | Necrosmith | older | $2.99 | 4,885 85% | 147k | $438k (exactly $438,185) | Alawar |
| | Reap and Rush | $14.99 | 622 77% | 19k | $280k (exactly $279,713) | Beijing Pacifier Technology | |
| | Dark Light: Survivor | · EA | $16.99 | 346 75% | 10k | $176k (exactly $176,356) | Mirari&Co. |
| | HELLBREAK | $14.99 | 275 76% | 8.3k | $124k (exactly $123,668) | Double Barrel Games | |
| | Rhythm Witch: Beat Death | $5.99 | 508 94% | 15k | $91k (exactly $91,288) | Dusklight CO., LTD. |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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