Do I ship it?

GamesDeckbuildingDeckbuilding + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Deckbuilding?

Deckbuilding + Cats

Of 31 developers who shipped a Cat Deckbuilding 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.. 50 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×7.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $630; 1 in 20 cleared $340k, ×727 the market median. Revenue is up 65% on the market; 50 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 65% on the market, 50 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $955 → $22k → $4.0k → $1.3k (still earning) → $7.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $629 (exactly $629)
Median $3.6k (exactly $3,598)
Top 25% $22k (exactly $21,578)
Top 5% $345k (exactly $345,370)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 55
Announced 50
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 65% on the market, supply 110% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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.

Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
Cats
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
Deckbuilding; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Card Game, Strategy, Roguelike
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Hand-drawn
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 2,751 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $630, median $3.6k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $340k.

3 in 10 developers made under $630. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Deckbuilding with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair44 devs · median $2.8k · 51 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  3. + ArcadeFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  4. + 2D FighterFair17 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  5. + Party GameFair22 devs · median $719 · 30 announced
  6. + SwordplayFair11 devs · median $599 · 13 announced
  7. + Point & ClickFair34 devs · median $598 · 36 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair53 devs · median $537 · 79 announced
  9. + LogicFair84 devs · median $419 · 118 announced
  10. + LovecraftianPoor odds19 devs · median $72k · 56 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $30k · 31 announced
  12. + Visual NovelPoor odds36 devs · median $26k · 64 announced

All 141 pairs on the Deckbuilding page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Cat God Ranch older $9.99 1,831 92% 55k $549k (exactly $548,751) CrazyPotato Studio
Beastro $19.99 598 92% 18k $359k (exactly $358,621) Timberline Studio
Epic Auto Towers · EA $14.99 768 70% 23k $345k (exactly $345,370) Aleksandr Golovkin
SpunkStock: Music Festival older $14.99 406 95% 12k $183k (exactly $182,578) RegulusNSFW
Batomon Showdown $14.99 327 87% 9.8k $147k (exactly $147,052) berrymint
スペルトナエル older $8.99 344 97% 10k $93k (exactly $92,777) おまど
Roulette Hero $9.99 260 92% 7.8k $78k (exactly $77,922) CLLC Studio
Replicat $9.99 213 99% 6.4k $64k (exactly $63,836) Brainoid Games
Cats on Duty older $9.99 142 90% 4.3k $43k (exactly $42,557) Prikol Team
Feng Shui Meowjong $4.99 276 95% 8.3k $41k (exactly $41,317) Wavebreak Studio
Claws Of Power $6.99 170 80% 5.1k $36k (exactly $35,649) 蒜苗
CARD QUEST $9.99 72 69% 2.2k $22k (exactly $21,578) MEOW STORE GAME
Cats & Dice · EA $7.99 51 76% 1.5k $12k (exactly $12,225) Yongjustyong
King of Tokyo - Richard Garfield $19.99 16 68% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,595) Breakfirst

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