Do I ship it?

GamesOpen WorldOpen World + Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Battler Open World game?

Open World + Card Battler

Only 9 developers shipped a Card Battler Open World game 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, Card Cultivation, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 37 more are announced, ×7.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $7.2k, ×4.8 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $310k, ×208 the market median. Revenue is up 950% on the market; 37 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 950% on the market, 37 announced, ×7.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Open World + Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $36k → $6.6k → $42k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Open World + Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $450 (exactly $450)
Median $7.2k (exactly $7,194)
Top 25% $42k (exactly $42,088)
Top 5% $312k (exactly $312,092)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 30
Announced 37
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $11.99

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 950% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Open World
effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Open World, Card Battler
Price point
$11.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $12.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 35,349 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $7.2k, 1 in 4 over $42k, 1 in 20 over $310k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 37 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + WuxiaFair12 devs · median $634k · 17 announced
  2. + 4 Player LocalFair14 devs · median $82k · 20 announced
  3. + VampiresFair15 devs · median $23k · 21 announced
  4. + TrainsFair27 devs · median $21k · 25 announced
  5. + FMVFair11 devs · median $14k · 13 announced
  6. + GothicFair25 devs · median $5.4k · 32 announced
  7. + MarsFair12 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  8. + TanksFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 11 announced
  9. + FaithLong shot11 devs · median $716 · 14 announced
  10. + DiplomacyPoor odds13 devs · median $1.8M · 38 announced
  11. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds8 devs · median $767k · 11 announced
  12. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds17 devs · median $267k · 65 announced

All 240 pairs on the Open World page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
觅长生 older $14.99 27,072 93% 812k $12M (exactly $12,174,278) Chalcedony Network
Black Book older $24.99 5,306 93% 159k $4.0M (exactly $3,977,908) Morteshka
Ooblets older $29.99 1,388 91% 42k $1.2M (exactly $1,248,784) Glumberland
Card Cultivation $14.99 694 70% 21k $312k (exactly $312,092) DarkIndex
FreeCell Quest older $9.99 278 81% 8.3k $83k (exactly $83,317) Legend Studio
Love of Magic Book 2: The War older $14.99 132 93% 4.0k $59k (exactly $59,360) Droid Productions
Stash: A Card Looter $9.99 186 79% 5.6k $56k (exactly $55,744) WheeGaming
The Dead Await $12.99 108 67% 3.2k $42k (exactly $42,088) Shotx
Criminal Dissidia older $12.99 105 62% 3.2k $41k (exactly $40,918) 双星骑
Love of Magic Book 3: The Return older $14.99 80 88% 2.4k $36k (exactly $35,976) Droid Productions
Claymores of the Lost Kingdom $9.99 83 67% 2.5k $25k (exactly $24,875) Ultaan Games
Soul•Apocalypto $11.99 20 80% 600 $7.2k (exactly $7,194) 卜乙冈(Ploygon)
The Midnight Crimes $10.99 20 60% 600 $6.6k (exactly $6,594) DeadlyCrow Games
OURATH: a Place in Peace $14.99 1 100% 30 $450 (exactly $450) redbonepirate
Mana Logic · EA $14.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Heavenly Demon
Tales of Immortal Cultivation $5.00 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) MountainPeople

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