Do I ship it?

GamesCard BattlerCard Battler + Psychological Horror

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Psychological-Horror Card Battler?

Card Battler + Psychological Horror

Of 24 developers who shipped a Psychological-Horror 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.. 43 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×5.7 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $720k, ×1523 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 43 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler + Psychological Horror
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 24
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $98k → $713k → $2.3k → $2.7k (still earning) → $2.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler + Psychological Horror: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 24
Bottom 30% $1.3k (exactly $1,347)
Median $2.7k (exactly $2,696)
Top 25% $71k (exactly $70,765)
Top 5% $723k (exactly $723,238)
Developers, 2 yr 24
Released games 42
Announced 43
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $5.99

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 90% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic
Psychological Horror
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Card Battler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Deckbuilding, RPG, Strategy
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 5,464 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.4k, median $2.7k, 1 in 4 over $70k, 1 in 20 over $720k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.4k. 3 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 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
Library Of Ruina older $29.99 40,605 94% 1.2M $37M (exactly $36,532,318) ProjectMoon
Office Life $19.99 1,725 88% 52k $1.0M (exactly $1,034,482) LeiYun Games
Deck of Haunts $19.99 1,206 84% 36k $723k (exactly $723,238) Mantis
Out Of Hands $17.99 1,322 93% 40k $713k (exactly $713,483) Game River
Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp older $19.99 761 62% 23k $456k (exactly $456,372) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter $14.99 314 90% 9.4k $141k (exactly $141,206) Mango Factory
Dragon Chronicles: Black Tears older $14.99 217 76% 6.5k $98k (exactly $97,585) Nyou
Exorcism Agency $12.99 222 91% 6.7k $87k (exactly $86,513) YINGGUO GAME
THE SPIRIT LIFT $19.99 118 94% 3.5k $71k (exactly $70,765) prettysmart games
Furry Cyberfucker older $6.99 273 69% 8.2k $57k (exactly $57,248) Furry Tails
Throne of Monsters 怪物的王座 $12.99 130 92% 3.9k $51k (exactly $50,661) 雏形游戏
Deckline $3.99 294 86% 8.8k $35k (exactly $35,192) Room Games, KREIDPIX
The Killing Stone · EA $12.99 79 94% 2.4k $31k (exactly $30,786) Question
Mind Lure $4.99 54 74% 1.6k $8.1k (exactly $8,084) Little Tiger Game

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