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Should I ship a Grid-Based Movement City Builder?
City Builder + Grid-Based Movement
Only 19 developers shipped a Grid-Based Movement City Builder 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, GRIDROAD, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 26 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×184 the market median. Revenue is up 710% on the market; 26 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $899 (exactly $899) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) |
| Top 25% | $6.7k (exactly $6,747) |
| Top 5% | $115k (exactly $115,384) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 19 |
| Released games | 42 |
| Announced | 26 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 up 710% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- City Builder
- effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
- Grid-Based Movement
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- City Builder, Grid-Based Movement; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Building, Strategy, Resource Management
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Colorful, Isometric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 797 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
City Builder with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelStrong odds
- + LogicFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + RacingLong shot
- + RomePoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + HorrorPoor odds
- + Alternate HistoryPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
Comparable games
GRIDROAD 2024 · $115k 
Machinefall 2026 · $54k 
Toads of the Bayou 2024 · $41k 
Can't Live Without Electricity 2023 · $34k 
Skyward Collapse 2013 · $28k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | GRIDROAD | $9.99 | 385 82% | 12k | $115k (exactly $115,384) | RAJACORP | |
| | Machinefall | $14.99 | 119 82% | 3.6k | $54k (exactly $53,514) | by Jan Zizka | |
| | Toads of the Bayou | $9.99 | 137 72% | 4.1k | $41k (exactly $41,059) | La Grange | |
| | Can't Live Without Electricity | older | $4.99 | 229 94% | 6.9k | $34k (exactly $34,281) | MELOVITY |
| | Skyward Collapse | older | $4.99 | 184 49% | 5.5k | $28k (exactly $27,545) | Arcen Games |
 | A Little Age | $14.99 | 61 62% | 1.8k | $27k (exactly $27,432) | Benerot | |
 | Block Tower TD | older | $4.99 | 88 85% | 2.6k | $13k (exactly $13,174) | MyDreamForever, Tazdraperm |
 | Block Tower TD 2 | older | $12.99 | 29 75% | 870 | $11k (exactly $11,301) | MyDreamForever, Tazdraperm |
 | Costa Verde Transport Department | older | $9.99 | 37 72% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,089) | Nikita Lisitsa |
 | Puzzle Pelago - A Drag & Drop Economy | older | $9.99 | 29 86% | 870 | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) | Christopher Mielack |
 | Exipelago | $24.99 | 9 66% | 270 | $6.7k (exactly $6,747) | reiti.net | |
 | Proto Garden | $14.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $5.8k (exactly $5,846) | arreyne | |
 | Goblins Can Conquer | $6.99 | 27 59% | 810 | $5.7k (exactly $5,662) | starea | |
 | Truck City | $5.99 | 20 80% | 600 | $3.6k (exactly $3,594) | Mikel Fernandez | |
 | My Cozy Room | $6.99 | 11 54% | 330 | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) | RedDeer.Games | |
 | Terrarium | $3.99 | 15 80% | 450 | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) | Traveler Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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