Do I ship it?

GamesParty-Based RPGParty-Based RPG + Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Battler Party-Based RPG?

Party-Based RPG + Card Battler

Of 27 developers who shipped a Card Battler Party-Based RPG 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.. 64 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $8.1k, ×13 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $640k, ×1032 the market median. Revenue is up 305% on the market; 64 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 12.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 305% on the market, 64 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Party-Based RPG + Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 27
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $16k → $312k → $5.1k → $163k → $7.2k → $42k (still earning) → $2.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Party-Based RPG + Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 27
Bottom 30% $2.7k (exactly $2,696)
Median $8.1k (exactly $8,092)
Top 25% $163k (exactly $162,737)
Top 5% $648k (exactly $648,051)
Developers, 2 yr 27
Released games 66
Announced 64
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $10.99

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 305% on the market, supply 70% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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.

Party-Based RPG
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium 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
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Party-Based RPG, Card Battler; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy, Card Game
Price point
$10.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 10,217 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.7k, median $8.1k, 1 in 4 over $160k, 1 in 20 over $640k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.7k. 8 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 64 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Party-Based RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Board GameFair24 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  2. + Point & ClickFair17 devs · median $2.5k · 20 announced
  3. + 2D PlatformerFair55 devs · median $599 · 42 announced
  4. + Hidden ObjectFair15 devs · median $479 · 16 announced
  5. + Martial ArtsPoor odds5 devs · median $230k · 16 announced
  6. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $49k · 25 announced
  7. + SandboxPoor odds23 devs · median $34k · 71 announced
  8. + BuildingPoor odds12 devs · median $32k · 37 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds14 devs · median $21k · 28 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds67 devs · median $19k · 76 announced
  11. + Base BuildingPoor odds19 devs · median $19k · 51 announced
  12. + IncrementalPoor odds18 devs · median $15k · 45 announced

All 111 pairs on the Party-Based RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Chrono Ark older $24.99 12,623 90% 379k $9.5M (exactly $9,463,463) Al Fine
Gordian Quest older $19.99 5,259 88% 158k $3.2M (exactly $3,153,822) Mixed Realms Pte Ltd, Swag Soft Holding… (Mixed Realms Pte Ltd, Swag Soft Holdings Pte Ltd)
Knock on the Coffin Lid older $24.99 2,727 82% 82k $2.0M (exactly $2,044,432) RedBoon
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech older $24.99 1,953 87% 59k $1.5M (exactly $1,464,164) Image & Form Games
Rebellion GODSOUL: Awakening · EA $17.99 2,458 85% 74k $1.3M (exactly $1,326,583) U-Secret Studio
Ooblets older $29.99 1,388 91% 42k $1.2M (exactly $1,248,784) Glumberland
Journey to the West older $19.99 1,470 79% 44k $882k (exactly $881,559) Z Studio
Kabuto Park $4.99 4,329 99% 130k $648k (exactly $648,051) Doot
STARDUST: Wish of Witch $24.99 728 81% 22k $546k (exactly $545,782) Kniv Studio Co., Ltd.
Abalon: Roguelike Tactics CCG older $29.99 592 95% 18k $533k (exactly $532,622) D20Studios
Viractal: Will You Trust Your Party? $24.99 448 88% 13k $336k (exactly $335,866) Sting
Battle Suit Aces $19.99 347 90% 10k $208k (exactly $208,096) Trinket Studios
Shards of Order $9.99 578 90% 17k $173k (exactly $173,227) Fardust
Kādomon: Hyper Auto Battlers $9.99 543 65% 16k $163k (exactly $162,737) Dino Rocket
Hive Blight · EA $12.49 367 94% 11k $138k (exactly $137,515) OptizOnion
YGGDRA REFRAIN $9.99 311 79% 9.3k $93k (exactly $93,207) BD
The Dead Await $12.99 108 67% 3.2k $42k (exactly $42,088) Shotx

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