Do I ship it?

GamesCard BattlerCard Battler + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance Card Battler?

Card Battler + Romance

Of 21 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 26 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $5.7k, ×12 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.5k; 1 in 20 cleared $100k, ×222 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 26 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 11.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 26 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $36k → $3.3k → $51k → $10k → $5.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Median $5.7k (exactly $5,662)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $21,333)
Top 5% $105k (exactly $105,219)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 55
Announced 26
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $9.99

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 45% on the market, supply 35% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic
Romance
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Card Game, Simulation, Strategy
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 73% positive over 1,470 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.5k, median $5.7k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $100k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.5k. 6 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 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
Youtubers Life 3 $19.99 468 50% 14k $281k (exactly $280,660) UPLAY Online
Love of Magic older $14.99 417 88% 13k $188k (exactly $187,525) Droid Productions
Astatos · EA older $14.99 298 82% 8.9k $134k (exactly $134,011) Studio Klondike Australia
Hypnosis Card 2 Happy Life $12.99 270 91% 8.1k $105k (exactly $105,219) Naku Kinoko
Helmetman · EA older $19.99 136 79% 4.1k $82k (exactly $81,559) GoniNmimi Games
Fantasy of Caocao 2 older $8.99 290 83% 8.7k $78k (exactly $78,213) 桑尼游戏(Sunny Game)
Love of Magic Book 2: The War older $14.99 132 93% 4.0k $59k (exactly $59,360) Droid Productions
The Girl's Moving Castle $9.99 181 88% 5.4k $54k (exactly $54,246) Destined game Studio
Throne of Monsters 怪物的王座 $12.99 130 92% 3.9k $51k (exactly $50,661) 雏形游戏
Tanto Cuore older $9.99 168 91% 5.0k $50k (exactly $50,350) Japanime Digital, Wedontknow Games
Lustful Butler And Charming Sisters $7.99 154 74% 4.6k $37k (exactly $36,914) Summer Clouds(夏雲)
Hypnosis Card 2 $12.99 65 78% 2.0k $25k (exactly $25,330) Naku Kinoko
Lust Poker Club $7.99 89 78% 2.7k $21k (exactly $21,333) Cutie Booty
Little Witch Inuko $9.99 42 83% 1.3k $13k (exactly $12,587) Flamme Soft
Lustful BlackJack: My Succubus Dealer $6.99 49 61% 1.5k $10k (exactly $10,275) 78Games, Matariki Studios Co., Ltd
Manic Magic Ciena's Desire $12.99 22 68% 660 $8.6k (exactly $8,573) Maidensoft

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