Do I ship it?

Games › Card Battler › Card Battler + Post-apocalyptic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Card Battler?

Card Battler + Post-apocalyptic

Of 31 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 66 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×2.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×325 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 66 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 66 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler + Post-apocalyptic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.7k → $34k → $13k → $5.3k → $299 → $9.6k (still earning) → $1.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler + Post-apocalyptic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.7k (exactly $1,679)
Top 25% $32k (exactly $31,784)
Top 5% $204k (exactly $203,898)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 71
Announced 66
Effort 5 / 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 55% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 21%, 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
Post-apocalyptic
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Card Battler; all of the top 25% also carry Card Game, Deckbuilding, Strategy
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 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 82% positive over 2,667 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.7k, 1 in 4 over $31k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 66 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 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

As We Descend 2025 · EA · $801k Nowhere Prophet 2019 · $541k Death Roads: Tournament 2023 · $328k Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse 2025 · $204k Ancient Enemy 2020 · $197k
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
Nowhere Prophet older $24.99 721 77% 22k $541k (exactly $540,534) Sharkbomb Studios
Death Roads: Tournament older $14.99 729 80% 22k $328k (exactly $327,831) The Knights of Unity
Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse $19.99 340 77% 10k $204k (exactly $203,898) EXLIX
Ancient Enemy older $16.99 386 89% 12k $197k (exactly $196,744) Grey Alien Games
Draft of Darkness older $14.99 336 94% 10k $151k (exactly $151,099) Crawly Games
Duelists of Eden older $4.99 856 95% 26k $128k (exactly $128,143) Thomas Moon Kang
DIMENSION REIGN - ROGUELIKE DECKBUILDER · EA older $17.99 207 67% 6.2k $112k (exactly $111,718) ScopeNext Inc
Power Chord older $19.99 170 71% 5.1k $102k (exactly $101,949) Big Blue Bubble
Snow Ash $14.99 179 73% 5.4k $80k (exactly $80,496) Ember Studio
Worlds Upon The Wind $9.99 238 99% 7.1k $71k (exactly $71,329) Max Shawabkeh
The Dead Await $12.99 108 67% 3.2k $42k (exactly $42,088) Shotx
Voice of Belldona · EA $11.99 117 72% 3.5k $42k (exactly $42,085) StoryCropStudio
Meteorfall: Rustbowl Rumble $14.99 93 91% 2.8k $42k (exactly $41,822) Slothwerks
Dark Sky $19.99 53 66% 1.6k $32k (exactly $31,784) Ganymede Games
Apocalypse: The Last RV · EA $4.99 159 68% 4.8k $24k (exactly $23,802) 光年切片工作室
Slave Harem $9.99 44 61% 1.3k $13k (exactly $13,187) artoonu

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