Do I ship it?

Games › Character Action Game › Character Action Game + Exploration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Exploration Character Action Game?

Character Action Game + Exploration

Only 10 developers shipped an Exploration Character Action 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, Lost Soul Aside™, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 35 more are announced, ×5.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $9.0k, ×6.0 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $3.0k; 1 in 20 cleared $2.3M, ×1570 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 35 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 35 announced, ×5.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Character Action Game + Exploration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.8k → $5.4k → $50k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Character Action Game + Exploration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $3.0k (exactly $2,997)
Median $9.0k (exactly $8,994)
Top 25% $105k (exactly $104,710)
Top 5% $2.4M (exactly $2,352,208)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 120
Announced 35
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $14.99

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 100% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Character Action Game
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Exploration
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Character Action Game, Exploration
Price point
$14.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 66% positive over 2,402 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $3.0k, median $9.0k, 1 in 4 over $100k, 1 in 20 over $2.3M.

3 in 10 developers made under $3.0k. 35 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Character Action Game with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Sci-fiPoor odds12 devs · median $305k · 30 announced
  2. + Action RPGPoor odds14 devs · median $105k · 55 announced
  3. + ShooterPoor odds14 devs · median $84k · 47 announced
  4. + Action-AdventurePoor odds23 devs · median $58k · 93 announced
  5. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds14 devs · median $58k · 43 announced
  6. + Spectacle fighterPoor odds22 devs · median $58k · 44 announced
  7. + Hack and SlashPoor odds27 devs · median $58k · 80 announced
  8. + Beat 'em upPoor odds12 devs · median $58k · 37 announced
  9. + AdventurePoor odds28 devs · median $29k · 100 announced
  10. + ActionPoor odds54 devs · median $20k · 188 announced
  11. + Action RoguelikePoor odds9 devs · median $20k · 40 announced
  12. + RoguelikePoor odds9 devs · median $20k · 16 announced

All 39 pairs on the Character Action Game page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Moonlighter 2018 · $10M Steelrising 2022 · $6.9M NINJA GAIDEN Σ [NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection] 2021 · $3.0M Lost Soul Aside™ 2025 · $2.4M Soulstice 2022 · $2.2M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Moonlighter older $19.99 17,286 82% 519k $10M (exactly $10,366,414) Digital Sun
Steelrising older $49.99 4,568 73% 137k $6.9M (exactly $6,850,630) Spiders
NINJA GAIDEN Σ [NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection] older $39.99 2,492 82% 75k $3.0M (exactly $2,989,652) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Lost Soul Aside™ $59.99 1,307 59% 39k $2.4M (exactly $2,352,208) Ultizero Games
Soulstice older $39.99 1,845 76% 55k $2.2M (exactly $2,213,446) Reply Game Studios
Moon Hunters older $14.99 3,919 79% 118k $1.8M (exactly $1,762,374) Kitfox Games
Valdis Story: Abyssal City older $14.99 2,275 83% 68k $1.0M (exactly $1,023,068) Endlessfluff Games
Garden Story older $19.99 1,406 89% 42k $843k (exactly $843,178) Picogram
Ocean's Heart older $14.99 1,405 82% 42k $632k (exactly $631,828) Max Mraz
KAKU: Ancient Seal older $24.99 806 79% 24k $604k (exactly $604,258) BINGOBELL
Cybernetic Fault $14.99 679 78% 20k $305k (exactly $305,346) Whale Rock Games
The Awakener: Battle Tendency $14.98 233 74% 7.0k $105k (exactly $104,710) TANER GAMES
Emberbane $14.99 111 52% 3.3k $50k (exactly $49,917) Hamlet Games
Fizz Quiz $14.99 20 50% 600 $9.0k (exactly $8,994) Moon
Rascal's Escape $29.99 6 66% 180 $5.4k (exactly $5,398) the Good Evil GmbH
Slay The Berserker · EA $9.99 10 50% 300 $3.0k (exactly $2,997) Advance Garde
Radiance of Souls $2.99 28 89% 840 $2.5k (exactly $2,512) Langonier
Extinction Rifts $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) QUByte Interactive
Whatnever $0.99 6 100% 180 $178 (exactly $178) starostenko_irina, studio_tapOK

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