Games › Crafting › Crafting + Card Game
Should I ship a Crafting Card Game?
Crafting + Card Game
Of 60 developers who shipped a Crafting Card Game 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.. 117 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.1 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×243 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 117 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $208 (exactly $208) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.3k (exactly $1,348) |
| Top 25% | $14k (exactly $14,029) |
| Top 5% | $153k (exactly $152,771) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 60 |
| Released games | 137 |
| Announced | 117 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 30% on the market, supply 75% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 20%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Crafting, Card Game; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Strategy, Management
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 3,412 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $210. 8 in 10 of the 30 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 117 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Crafting with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + SportsFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + IdlerFair
- + SolitaireFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + WesternPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
Comparable games
Cultist Simulator 2018 · $6.3M 
Potionomics 2022 · $5.2M 
BOOK OF HOURS 2023 · $3.1M 
Card Survival: Tropical Island 2022 · $2.2M 
Thea: The Awakening 2015 · $2.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Cultist Simulator | older | $19.99 | 10,496 82% | 315k | $6.3M (exactly $6,294,451) | Weather Factory |
| | Potionomics | older | $24.99 | 6,973 90% | 209k | $5.2M (exactly $5,227,658) | Voracious Games |
| | BOOK OF HOURS | older | $24.99 | 4,129 89% | 124k | $3.1M (exactly $3,095,511) | Weather Factory |
| | Card Survival: Tropical Island | older | $24.99 | 2,962 94% | 89k | $2.2M (exactly $2,220,611) | WinterSpring Games |
| | Thea: The Awakening | older | $19.99 | 3,318 87% | 100k | $2.0M (exactly $1,989,805) | MuHa Games |
 | Thea 2: The Shattering | older | $24.99 | 1,892 79% | 57k | $1.4M (exactly $1,418,432) | MuHa Games, Eerie Forest Studio |
 | Aces & Adventures | older | $19.99 | 2,220 89% | 67k | $1.3M (exactly $1,331,334) | Triple.B.Titles |
 | Card Survival: Fantasy Forest | · EA | $21.99 | 1,135 76% | 34k | $749k (exactly $748,760) | WinterSpring Games |
 | Doodle God | older | $14.99 | 1,030 77% | 31k | $463k (exactly $463,191) | JoyBits Ltd. |
 | Everdell | older | $19.99 | 577 90% | 17k | $346k (exactly $346,027) | Dire Wolf |
 | The Horror at Highrook | $19.99 | 461 90% | 14k | $276k (exactly $276,462) | Nullpointer Games | |
 | Stackmon | $13.99 | 364 75% | 11k | $153k (exactly $152,771) | Riftpoint Entertainment | |
 | Entertainment Simulator | $18.99 | 181 73% | 5.4k | $103k (exactly $103,116) | Grizzbera Studio | |
 | Abra-Cooking-Dabra | $12.99 | 250 75% | 7.5k | $97k (exactly $97,425) | Door 407 | |
 | Factory Planner | · EA | $7.99 | 385 70% | 12k | $92k (exactly $92,284) | Lebleby Games |
 | Kaya's Prophecy | $13.99 | 196 70% | 5.9k | $82k (exactly $82,261) | Jérémie & Thibaut | |
 | Sizzle & Stack | $9.99 | 264 72% | 7.9k | $79k (exactly $79,121) | Arvis Games | |
 | The Dead Await | $12.99 | 108 67% | 3.2k | $42k (exactly $42,088) | Shotx | |
 | Magic Inn | · EA | $14.99 | 68 82% | 2.0k | $31k (exactly $30,580) | Purpledoor Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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