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Should I ship a Western Card Game?
Card Game + Western
Only 15 developers shipped a Western Card Game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Once a Porn a Time: Porn and Cards, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 22 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×2.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $38k, ×61 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 22 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) |
| Top 25% | $9.6k (exactly $9,646) |
| Top 5% | $38k (exactly $38,224) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 15 |
| Released games | 26 |
| Announced | 22 |
| 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 90% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, 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
- Card Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Deckbuilding, Card Battler, Strategy
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 377 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 22 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 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
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | West Sweety | older | $1.99 | 3,227 83% | 97k | $193k (exactly $192,652) | AFOG |
| | Once a Porn a Time: Porn and Cards | $14.99 | 85 72% | 2.6k | $38k (exactly $38,224) | OPT Studio | |
| | Brawl To The West | $8.99 | 139 71% | 4.2k | $37k (exactly $37,488) | GagaRush | |
| | WAGON | $10.99 | 38 94% | 1.1k | $13k (exactly $12,529) | de_husk | |
| | Paperback Adventures | · EA older | $14.99 | 27 92% | 810 | $12k (exactly $12,142) | Tim Fowers, Jeff Krause, Skye Larsen, A… (Tim Fowers, Jeff Krause, Skye Larsen, Alex Krause) |
| | Boogey Hunters | $6.99 | 46 84% | 1.4k | $9.6k (exactly $9,646) | Keep The Engine Games | |
| | Duelite | $6.99 | 24 83% | 720 | $5.0k (exactly $5,033) | Betaking Studios | |
| | DEAD MAN'S HAND: Card Roulette Action | older | $4.99 | 31 100% | 930 | $4.6k (exactly $4,641) | Black Garden Studios |
| | Poker Simulator | older | $4.99 | 27 51% | 810 | $4.0k (exactly $4,042) | netmin games |
| | Roulette Heist | $6.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $3.8k (exactly $3,775) | DreamArk Lab | |
| | Luck of the Draw | $4.99 | 17 100% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | SuperFake Games | |
| | Risk & Riches | $9.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | Growlery Games | |
| | Cards from the West | · EA | $4.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | guilemus |
| | Double Barrel Desperado | $2.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $269 (exactly $269) | Gentoo Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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