Games › Choices Matter › Choices Matter + Rome
Should I ship a Roman Choices Matter game?
Choices Matter + Rome
Only 10 developers shipped a Roman Choices Matter 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, Anno 117: Pax Romana, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 19 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $160k, ×254 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $6.6k; 1 in 20 cleared $21M, ×34819 the market median. Revenue is up 1775% on the market; 19 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $6.5k (exactly $6,501) |
|---|---|
| Median | $160k (exactly $159,520) |
| Top 25% | $459k (exactly $458,816) |
| Top 5% | $22M (exactly $21,866,355) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 31 |
| Announced | 19 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $19.99 |
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 1775% on the market, supply 135% 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.
- Choices Matter
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Rome
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Choices Matter
- Price point
- $19.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 70% positive over 14,727 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $6.6k. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 19 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Choices Matter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Escape RoomFair
- + SportsFair
- + RhythmFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + TriviaFair
- + Board GameFair
- + RacingFair
- + ChessFair
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + World War IPoor odds
- + VampiresPoor odds
Comparable games
Imperator: Rome 2019 · $23M 
Anno 117: Pax Romana 2025 · $22M 
The Forgotten City 2021 · $8.4M 
Expeditions: Rome 2022 · $7.0M 
The Age of Decadence 2015 · $1.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Imperator: Rome | older | $39.99 | 19,492 65% | 585k | $23M (exactly $23,384,552) | Paradox Development Studio |
| | Anno 117: Pax Romana | $59.99 | 12,150 69% | 365k | $22M (exactly $21,866,355) | Ubisoft Mainz | |
| | The Forgotten City | older | $24.99 | 11,159 96% | 335k | $8.4M (exactly $8,365,902) | Modern Storyteller |
| | Expeditions: Rome | older | $44.99 | 5,156 86% | 155k | $7.0M (exactly $6,959,053) | Logic Artists |
| | The Age of Decadence | older | $14.99 | 3,582 82% | 107k | $1.6M (exactly $1,610,825) | Iron Tower Studio |
 | Slaves of Rome | older | $24.99 | 1,924 73% | 58k | $1.4M (exactly $1,442,423) | Biggus Diccus Games |
 | Blackthorn Arena: Reforged | $24.99 | 882 66% | 26k | $661k (exactly $661,235) | PersonaeGame Studio | |
 | A Legionary's Life | older | $7.99 | 2,463 87% | 74k | $590k (exactly $590,381) | Alessandro Roberti |
 | Ludus Magnatus: Gladiator Manager Simulator | · EA | $24.99 | 612 81% | 18k | $459k (exactly $458,816) | Contec Games |
 | Gods of Sand | $9.99 | 720 86% | 22k | $216k (exactly $215,784) | Achenar Studios | |
 | Pompeii: The Legacy | $19.99 | 266 80% | 8.0k | $160k (exactly $159,520) | Siscia Games | |
 | Long Live Caesar | $9.99 | 51 78% | 1.5k | $15k (exactly $15,285) | Yury Khovansky, Vladislavs Viktorovs | |
 | Ovidius (Blood for Love) | $6.99 | 31 67% | 930 | $6.5k (exactly $6,501) | Narrator Studio | |
 | Ludus: A Gladiator Story | $8.99 | 11 9% | 330 | $3.0k (exactly $2,967) | A Story Interactive | |
 | Rod of Asclepius | $19.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Worcco Arts | |
 | Rumours of a Roman Empire | $5.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $180 (exactly $180) | Little Black Book Entertainment |
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.