Games › Chess › Chess + Medieval
Should I ship a Medieval Chess game?
Chess + Medieval
Only 16 developers shipped a Medieval Chess 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 Pawn a King, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $19k, ×41 the market median. Revenue is up 80% on the market; 25 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $598 (exactly $598) |
| Top 25% | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) |
| Top 5% | $19k (exactly $19,424) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 40 |
| Announced | 25 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 80% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, 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
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Chess
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 77% positive over 140 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 25 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Chess with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SimulationFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + PuzzleFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Choices MatterFair
- + StrategyLong shot
- + ArcadeLong shot
- + RoguelikePoor odds
- + RoguelitePoor odds
- + DeckbuildingPoor odds
- + FantasyPoor odds
- + Card GamePoor odds
Comparable games
The Ouroboros King 2023 · $141k 
Once a Pawn a King 2026 · $19k 
ChessCraft 2021 · $15k 
Pawn of the Dead 2021 · $9.2k 
Who Takes The Crown? 2025 · $8.9k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Ouroboros King | older | $9.99 | 471 80% | 14k | $141k (exactly $141,159) | Oriol Cosp Games |
| | Once a Pawn a King | $11.99 | 54 55% | 1.6k | $19k (exactly $19,424) | Clover Bite | |
| | ChessCraft | older | $5.99 | 81 96% | 2.4k | $15k (exactly $14,556) | Stuart Spence |
| | Pawn of the Dead | older | $6.99 | 44 93% | 1.3k | $9.2k (exactly $9,227) | Aslan Game Studio |
| | Who Takes The Crown? | $7.99 | 37 83% | 1.1k | $8.9k (exactly $8,869) | devthedoug | |
 | Knight's Retreat | older | $2.99 | 74 93% | 2.2k | $6.6k (exactly $6,638) | Minimol Games |
 | Chess Knights: Shinobi | older | $2.99 | 67 83% | 2.0k | $6.0k (exactly $6,010) | Minimol Games |
 | Chess Knights: Viking Lands | older | $2.99 | 61 93% | 1.8k | $5.5k (exactly $5,472) | Minimol Games |
 | Chess of Mana | $8.99 | 17 88% | 510 | $4.6k (exactly $4,585) | Monk Monkey | |
 | Warpaint | older | $4.99 | 23 69% | 690 | $3.4k (exactly $3,443) | Adam Thompson |
 | A Game of Chaess | $9.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | Yohan Fabre (Gamezel) | |
 | Checkers | $3.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $1.2k (exactly $1,197) | Popoko VM Games | |
 | Chess Knightmare | $4.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $748 (exactly $748) | RanDev Software | |
 | CHESST | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | ANCIENT MOAI COOPERATIVE | |
 | Mind Over Monarchy | $3.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $598 (exactly $598) | Wise Puppy | |
 | Fool`s Road | · EA | $4.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | Pikas |
 | Rogue Mate | $4.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | MiThiKaL Productions |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.