Do I ship it?

GamesThird-Person ShooterThird-Person Shooter + Choices Matter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Choices Matter Third-Person Shooter?

Third-Person Shooter + Choices Matter

Of 26 developers who shipped a Choices Matter Third-Person Shooter 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.. 96 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240. 96 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper, while revenue is down 70% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 96 announced, ×5.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Third-Person Shooter + Choices Matter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 26
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.0k → $599 → $24k → $6.3k → $0 → $599 (still earning) → $1.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Third-Person Shooter + Choices Matter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 26
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $598 (exactly $598)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,997)
Top 5% $19M (exactly $19,231,987)
Developers, 2 yr 26
Released games 92
Announced 96
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 70% on the market, supply 170% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Third-Person Shooter
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Choices Matter
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
Third-Person Shooter, Choices Matter; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Action-Adventure
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 71% positive over 37,673 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $600, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $19M.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 7 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 96 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Third-Person Shooter with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RhythmStrong odds6 devs · median $3.3k · 6 announced
  2. + WesternFair15 devs · median $1.4k · 16 announced
  3. + CollectathonLong shot19 devs · median $599 · 20 announced
  4. + Time ManagementLong shot15 devs · median $538 · 12 announced
  5. + Walking SimulatorLong shot27 devs · median $479 · 27 announced
  6. + Class-BasedPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  7. + Creature CollectorPoor odds12 devs · median $13k · 15 announced
  8. + DinosaursPoor odds8 devs · median $9.0k · 14 announced
  9. + MechsPoor odds38 devs · median $7.2k · 63 announced
  10. + Alternate HistoryPoor odds12 devs · median $6.9k · 70 announced
  11. + Level EditorPoor odds10 devs · median $6.9k · 14 announced
  12. + CraftingPoor odds65 devs · median $5.1k · 156 announced

All 163 pairs on the Third-Person Shooter page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition older $59.99 62,205 91% 1.9M $112M (exactly $111,950,338) BioWare
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy older $59.99 35,397 93% 1.1M $64M (exactly $63,703,981) Eidos-Montréal
Senren*Banka older $34.99 33,721 98% 1.0M $35M (exactly $35,396,934) YUZUSOFT
Quantum Break older $39.99 23,141 86% 694k $28M (exactly $27,762,258) Remedy Entertainment
Star Wars Outlaws $69.99 12,268 71% 368k $26M (exactly $25,759,120) Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio
Mass Effect™: Andromeda Deluxe Edition older $39.99 16,741 73% 502k $20M (exactly $20,084,178) BioWare
The Forever Winter · EA $29.99 21,376 68% 641k $19M (exactly $19,231,987) Fun Dog Studios
Mass Effect (2007) older $29.99 14,871 93% 446k $13M (exactly $13,379,439) BioWare
ELEX older $29.99 12,443 72% 373k $11M (exactly $11,194,967) Piranha Bytes
Crab Champions · EA older $9.99 26,546 97% 796k $8.0M (exactly $7,955,836) Noisestorm
The Thing: Remastered $29.99 1,203 89% 36k $1.1M (exactly $1,082,339) Nightdive Studios, Computer Artworks
The Greatest Penguin Heist of All Time $14.99 2,361 90% 71k $1.1M (exactly $1,061,742) That Fish, That Other Fish
SWAPMEAT $16.49 304 86% 9.1k $150k (exactly $150,389) One More Game
The Left Behind $10.99 116 23% 3.5k $38k (exactly $38,245) Extrude
Assassin Of Dombardos $9.99 10 80% 300 $3.0k (exactly $2,997) Saylor Games
Despot Zombie $3.99 18 66% 540 $2.2k (exactly $2,155) Moonstar Games
Hive Havoc 3D $3.99 11 100% 330 $1.3k (exactly $1,317) Digital Dialysis Softworks
STEEL SERAPHIM: PROVING GROUNDS $6.99 6 100% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) TYPE THREE INDUSTRIES

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