Do I ship it?

GamesTower DefenseTower Defense + Capitalism

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Capitalist Tower Defense?

Tower Defense + Capitalism

Only 15 developers shipped a Capitalist Tower Defense 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, Outhold, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $720. Revenue is up 50% on the market; 20 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 50% on the market, 20 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Tower Defense + Capitalism
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $1.9k → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Tower Defense + Capitalism: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $718 (exactly $718)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,575)
Top 25% $2.9k (exactly $2,875)
Top 5% $381k (exactly $381,235)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 26
Announced 20
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 50% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Tower Defense
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Capitalism
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Tower Defense; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Incremental, Automation, Idler
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Minimalist
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 2,241 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $2.8k, 1 in 20 over $380k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Tower Defense with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + DwarvesStrong odds10 devs · median $6.7k · 9 announced
  2. + MiningFair33 devs · median $6.3k · 45 announced
  3. + Survival HorrorFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 16 announced
  4. + TanksFair14 devs · median $1.5k · 13 announced
  5. + MechsFair24 devs · median $1.5k · 24 announced
  6. + IdlerFair108 devs · median $1.2k · 136 announced
  7. + PuzzleFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 67 announced
  8. + Gun CustomizationFair26 devs · median $958 · 32 announced
  9. + LogicFair40 devs · median $955 · 44 announced
  10. + On-Rails ShooterFair11 devs · median $899 · 12 announced
  11. + Psychological HorrorFair8 devs · median $897 · 8 announced
  12. + Turn-Based CombatFair28 devs · median $839 · 34 announced

All 150 pairs on the Tower Defense page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Outhold $6.99 1,818 86% 55k $381k (exactly $381,235) Tellus Games
Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain older $24.99 138 73% 4.1k $103k (exactly $103,459) Karin Project
PROFITS 2167: Planetary Resource Optimization & Freight Infrastructure Technician Simulator · EA $6.99 209 98% 6.3k $44k (exactly $43,827) Simple Software Solutions
Infiniclick $7.99 140 72% 4.2k $34k (exactly $33,558) Nacho AB
Orbitect older $9.99 11 63% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Propulsion Games
Rip Them Off older $8.99 11 36% 330 $3.0k (exactly $2,967) Lozange Lab
Bottom Squad $5.99 16 62% 480 $2.9k (exactly $2,875) Family Devs
Gargantua $9.99 9 44% 270 $2.7k (exactly $2,697) Abdullah Furkan Doğan
Neon Colony $12.99 5 100% 150 $1.9k (exactly $1,948) ABCA Studios
Herder older $4.99 13 92% 390 $1.9k (exactly $1,946) Porchman Games
Wake Cup $3.99 16 100% 480 $1.9k (exactly $1,915) Pyralis Studio
Fascist $2.50 21 90% 630 $1.6k (exactly $1,575) The Lonely Game Dev
Doomsday Tower Defense $15.99 3 33% 90 $1.4k (exactly $1,439) Urban Isotope
Business Defence $7.99 4 100% 120 $959 (exactly $959) Bachgen Business Boy

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