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Should I ship a Level Editor Choices Matter game?
Level Editor + Choices Matter
Of 22 developers who shipped a Level Editor Choices Matter game 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.. 46 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $960, ×1.5 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×270 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 46 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $119 (exactly $119) |
|---|---|
| Median | $959 (exactly $959) |
| Top 25% | $80k (exactly $80,360) |
| Top 5% | $170k (exactly $169,715) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 22 |
| Released games | 62 |
| Announced | 46 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 down 95% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Level Editor
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Choices Matter
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Level Editor, Choices Matter; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Dialogue Heavy
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 73% positive over 3,356 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $120. 5 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 46 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Level Editor with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + AutomationLong shot
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Solasta: Crown of the Magister | older | $29.99 | 19,680 87% | 590k | $18M (exactly $17,706,096) | Tactical Adventures |
| | Poly Bridge | older | $9.99 | 17,107 91% | 513k | $5.1M (exactly $5,126,968) | Dry Cactus |
| | Poly Bridge 2 | older | $14.99 | 7,875 95% | 236k | $3.5M (exactly $3,541,388) | Dry Cactus |
| | Everhood 2 | $19.99 | 2,207 74% | 66k | $1.3M (exactly $1,323,538) | Chris Nordgren, Jordi Roca | |
| | Legends of Eisenwald | older | $19.99 | 1,394 76% | 42k | $836k (exactly $835,982) | Aterdux Entertainment |
| | IRMÃO Grande & Brasileiro 2 | older | $19.99 | 1,392 97% | 42k | $835k (exactly $834,782) | Virgula Leal |
| | SimCasino | older | $24.99 | 687 74% | 21k | $515k (exactly $515,044) | LVGameDev LLC |
| | Vaudeville | $19.99 | 283 48% | 8.5k | $170k (exactly $169,715) | Bumblebee Studios | |
| | Knights of the Chalice 2 | older | $44.99 | 117 70% | 3.5k | $158k (exactly $157,915) | Heroic Fantasy Games Dot Com |
| | 80's OVERDRIVE | older | $9.99 | 502 77% | 15k | $150k (exactly $150,449) | Insane Code |
| | Pro Basketball Manager 2025 | $24.99 | 169 68% | 5.1k | $127k (exactly $126,699) | Umix Studios | |
| | Suck Up! | $16.99 | 205 62% | 6.2k | $104k (exactly $104,488) | Proxima | |
| | Rocket Boots Mania | $14.99 | 229 99% | 6.9k | $103k (exactly $102,981) | Luma Play | |
| | Together in Battle | $19.99 | 134 90% | 4.0k | $80k (exactly $80,360) | Sinister Design | |
| | Sniper Camouflage Orange Spy Warrior I Buried Two Bodies in the Garden and the Police Haven't Figured Out Yet That They're Missing Because They Were a Lonely Old Couple Who Had No Relatives Simulator 2026 | · EA | $9.99 | 77 66% | 2.3k | $23k (exactly $23,077) | The Only Way Out |
| | Governance | · EA | $17.99 | 33 66% | 990 | $18k (exactly $17,810) | Governance Studios |
| | DROD RPG 2: A Courageous Rescue | $24.99 | 12 83% | 360 | $9.0k (exactly $8,996) | Caravel Games | |
| | Meepie | $4.99 | 7 100% | 210 | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) | Risk of Entertainment |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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