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Should I ship a Mystery Card Battler?
Card Battler + Mystery
Of 30 developers who shipped a Mystery Card Battler 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.. 83 more are announced, ×4.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×297 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 83 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,194) |
| Top 25% | $8.3k (exactly $8,266) |
| Top 5% | $141k (exactly $141,206) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 68 |
| Announced | 83 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 down 25% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Card Battler
- effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic
- Mystery
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Card Battler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Card Game, Deckbuilding, Adventure
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, 1980s
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 1,129 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 83 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Card Battler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + ArcadeFair
- + Bullet HellFair
- + GamblingFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + ZombiesFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SolitaireLong shot
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerPoor odds
- + CRPGPoor odds
Comparable games
Depersonalization 2024 · $3.6M 
Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp 2022 · $456k 
Iris and the Giant 2020 · $377k 
All in Abyss: Judge the Fake 2025 · $180k 
Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter 2026 · $141k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Depersonalization | older | $19.99 | 6,041 92% | 181k | $3.6M (exactly $3,622,788) | MeowNature |
| | Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp | older | $19.99 | 761 62% | 23k | $456k (exactly $456,372) | Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. |
| | Iris and the Giant | older | $17.99 | 698 87% | 21k | $377k (exactly $376,711) | Louis Rigaud |
| | All in Abyss: Judge the Fake | $15.99 | 375 54% | 11k | $180k (exactly $179,888) | ACQUIRE Corp., WSS playground | |
| | Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter | $14.99 | 314 90% | 9.4k | $141k (exactly $141,206) | Mango Factory | |
 | Fury of Dracula: Digital Edition | older | $12.99 | 213 72% | 6.4k | $83k (exactly $83,006) | Nomad Games |
 | THE SPIRIT LIFT | $19.99 | 118 94% | 3.5k | $71k (exactly $70,765) | prettysmart games | |
 | The Magister | older | $14.99 | 103 91% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $46,319) | Nerdook Productions |
 | Arcana of Paradise —The Tower— | older | $19.99 | 74 66% | 2.2k | $44k (exactly $44,378) | 株式会社タストα |
 | Echo Generation 2 | $24.99 | 41 73% | 1.2k | $31k (exactly $30,738) | Cococucumber | |
 | Vegangsters | $12.99 | 69 92% | 2.1k | $27k (exactly $26,889) | Poison Pill Games | |
 | Noir Lords | · EA | $7.99 | 51 96% | 1.5k | $12k (exactly $12,225) | Speed Trail Games |
 | Prison Notes | $9.99 | 38 94% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,389) | 闻岚工坊（Vinland Studio） | |
 | SPELLHACK!! | $5.99 | 46 91% | 1.4k | $8.3k (exactly $8,266) | Computer Dream | |
 | Ba Bị | $4.99 | 42 100% | 1.3k | $6.3k (exactly $6,287) | BaBị Electric | |
 | DEATHMARK | · EA | $4.99 | 35 91% | 1.1k | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) | Wired Creations Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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