Do I ship it?

GamesCard BattlerCard Battler + Dystopian

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dystopian Card Battler?

Card Battler + Dystopian

Only 16 developers shipped a Dystopian Card Battler 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, As We Descend, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 42 more are announced, ×4.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $4.9k, ×10 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $800k, ×1687 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 42 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 10.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 42 announced, ×4.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler + Dystopian
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $37k → $13k → $179 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler + Dystopian: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $210 (exactly $210)
Median $4.9k (exactly $4,940)
Top 25% $34k (exactly $34,431)
Top 5% $801k (exactly $801,199)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 30
Announced 42
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $8.99

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 95% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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.

Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic
Dystopian
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
Card Battler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Game, Deckbuilding
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 2,159 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $210, median $4.9k, 1 in 4 over $34k, 1 in 20 over $800k.

3 in 10 developers made under $210. 7 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Card Battler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + ArcadeFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  2. + Bullet HellFair24 devs · median $1.2k · 22 announced
  3. + GamblingFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 77 announced
  4. + 2D FighterFair10 devs · median $1.0k · 11 announced
  5. + ZombiesFair17 devs · median $839 · 22 announced
  6. + Point & ClickFair25 devs · median $629 · 34 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair35 devs · median $628 · 33 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair43 devs · median $449 · 57 announced
  9. + Party GameFair28 devs · median $449 · 35 announced
  10. + SolitaireLong shot77 devs · median $299 · 79 announced
  11. + Asynchronous MultiplayerPoor odds33 devs · median $31k · 56 announced
  12. + CRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced

All 125 pairs on the Card Battler page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
As We Descend · EA $19.99 1,336 86% 40k $801k (exactly $801,199) Box Dragon
Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse $19.99 340 77% 10k $204k (exactly $203,898) EXLIX
Aeon's End older $14.99 438 82% 13k $197k (exactly $196,969) Handelabra Games Inc.
Deepest Chamber: Resurrection older $12.99 419 79% 13k $163k (exactly $163,284) Balcony Softworks
System Crash older $14.99 250 83% 7.5k $112k (exactly $112,425) Rogue Moon Studios
Power Chord older $19.99 170 71% 5.1k $102k (exactly $101,949) Big Blue Bubble
长明火计划 Project: Eternal Flame older $19.99 77 88% 2.3k $46k (exactly $46,177) 唐扬Studio
Vanguard Exiles · EA $19.99 61 81% 1.8k $37k (exactly $36,582) The Tea Division
Dead Finger Dice $4.99 230 78% 6.9k $34k (exactly $34,431) Rocket Adrift Games
Cartridge Defense older $11.99 80 91% 2.4k $29k (exactly $28,776) Out Gaming
Vestiges: Fallen Tribes $24.99 36 80% 1.1k $27k (exactly $26,989) WanadevStudio
Dictator Simulator: Gradnar $4.99 84 97% 2.5k $13k (exactly $12,575) GortagonGame
Ender theater $9.99 28 50% 840 $8.4k (exactly $8,392) FeatherRain
Battle Of The Abyss $4.99 33 93% 990 $4.9k (exactly $4,940) 1029studio
Nybble $9.99 9 100% 270 $2.7k (exactly $2,697) Gummy Skunk
Loopweavers: Dimensional Alliances $8.99 2 50% 60 $539 (exactly $539) Alejandro Rodríguez Fernández

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