Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Chess
Should I ship a Chess Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Chess
Only 19 developers shipped a Chess Deckbuilding 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, Gambonanza, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 33 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $720k, ×1519 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 33 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $839 (exactly $839) |
| Top 25% | $19k (exactly $19,485) |
| Top 5% | $721k (exactly $721,319) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 19 |
| Released games | 29 |
| Announced | 33 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 95% on the market, supply 275% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 21%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Chess
- effort 1 / 10 · high · fully specified rules and known engines
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Deckbuilding, Chess; all of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Roguelite, Strategy
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 77% positive over 2,267 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 33 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + LogicFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
Gambonanza 2026 · $721k 
Pawnbarian 2021 · $135k 
Passant: A Chess Roguelike 2025 · $131k 
Below the Crown 2026 · $29k 
WizardChess 2024 · $25k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Gambonanza | $14.99 | 1,604 74% | 48k | $721k (exactly $721,319) | Blukulélé | |
| | Pawnbarian | older | $9.99 | 450 91% | 14k | $135k (exactly $134,865) | j4nw |
| | Passant: A Chess Roguelike | $11.99 | 363 79% | 11k | $131k (exactly $130,571) | Marc Makes Games | |
| | Below the Crown | $14.99 | 64 96% | 1.9k | $29k (exactly $28,781) | Misfits Attic | |
| | WizardChess | $14.99 | 56 83% | 1.7k | $25k (exactly $25,183) | TwoPM Studios | |
 | Yes, My Queen | $12.99 | 50 82% | 1.5k | $19k (exactly $19,485) | Wall Spaghetti | |
 | Tabulo | $9.99 | 58 91% | 1.7k | $17k (exactly $17,383) | Noah Games | |
 | Usurper | older | $9.99 | 35 82% | 1.1k | $10k (exactly $10,490) | Rogue Brain Studios |
 | Order Automatica | $5.99 | 58 89% | 1.7k | $10k (exactly $10,423) | New Beings | |
 | Chess: The Lost Pieces | older | $7.99 | 20 70% | 600 | $4.8k (exactly $4,794) | Yağız Selimoğlu |
 | Chaos Pieces | $11.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | Suzuki Ken | |
 | Solo Chess | $9.99 | 5 60% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | NourSaiFR | |
 | PEGTURE: Peg Solitaire Roguelike | $6.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $839 (exactly $839) | Puff Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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