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Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Card Game?
Card Game + Post-apocalyptic
Of 42 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 87 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×1.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×196 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 87 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 25% | $32k (exactly $31,784) |
| Top 5% | $123k (exactly $123,308) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 42 |
| Released games | 93 |
| Announced | 87 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 85% on the market, supply 70% 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.
- Card Game
- effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data
- Post-apocalyptic
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Card Game; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Deckbuilding, Card Battler
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 3,097 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 87 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Card Game with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SteampunkFair
- + Immersive SimFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + DogsFair
- + MahjongFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + GamblingFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + Board GameFair
- + PuzzleFair
- + Dating SimPoor odds
Comparable games
Beneath Oresa 2023 · $841k 
As We Descend 2025 · EA · $801k 
Nowhere Prophet 2019 · $541k 
Death Roads: Tournament 2023 · $328k 
Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse 2025 · $204k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Beneath Oresa | older | $24.99 | 1,122 78% | 34k | $841k (exactly $841,163) | Broken Spear Inc. |
| | 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 |
 | Frostrain 2 | $10.99 | 374 89% | 11k | $123k (exactly $123,308) | nemonan | |
 | DIMENSION REIGN - ROGUELIKE DECKBUILDER | · EA older | $17.99 | 207 67% | 6.2k | $112k (exactly $111,718) | ScopeNext Inc |
 | 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 | |
 | Project Afterfall | · EA | $19.99 | 80 75% | 2.4k | $48k (exactly $47,976) | MuHa Games, Eerie Forest Studio |
 | 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 | |
 | ZombieCards | $5.99 | 232 48% | 7.0k | $42k (exactly $41,690) | HotScent |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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