Do I ship it?

GamesCity BuilderCity Builder + Outbreak Sim

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Outbreak Sim City Builder?

City Builder + Outbreak Sim

Only 10 developers shipped an Outbreak Sim 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, After Inc: Revival, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $16k, ×26 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $790k, ×1272 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 25.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 16 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
City Builder + Outbreak Sim
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for City Builder + Outbreak Sim: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $2.3k (exactly $2,307)
Median $16k (exactly $16,184)
Top 25% $73k (exactly $73,163)
Top 5% $799k (exactly $798,756)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 27
Announced 16
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $12.99

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 85% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

City Builder
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Outbreak Sim
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
City Builder, Outbreak Sim
Price point
$12.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 2,137 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.4k, median $16k, 1 in 4 over $73k, 1 in 20 over $790k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.4k. 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

City Builder with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Visual NovelStrong odds10 devs · median $19k · 8 announced
  2. + LogicFair58 devs · median $3.3k · 74 announced
  3. + IncrementalFair75 devs · median $1.3k · 96 announced
  4. + Hidden ObjectFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  5. + ArcadeFair28 devs · median $898 · 27 announced
  6. + RacingLong shot12 devs · median $299 · 9 announced
  7. + RomePoor odds9 devs · median $423k · 10 announced
  8. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds13 devs · median $215k · 25 announced
  9. + HorrorPoor odds10 devs · median $157k · 21 announced
  10. + Alternate HistoryPoor odds17 devs · median $146k · 50 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds32 devs · median $118k · 55 announced
  12. + DiplomacyPoor odds26 devs · median $108k · 47 announced

All 136 pairs on the City Builder page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Infection Free Zone · EA older $24.99 16,568 80% 497k $12M (exactly $12,421,030) Jutsu Games
After Inc: Revival $17.99 1,480 77% 44k $799k (exactly $798,756) Ndemic Creations
Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville older $14.99 1,486 86% 45k $668k (exactly $668,254) Northway Games, Sarah Northway
Zombie Cure Lab $24.99 393 65% 12k $295k (exactly $294,632) Thera Bytes GmbH
Mad Tower Tycoon older $14.99 413 77% 12k $186k (exactly $185,726) Eggcode
Undead Inc. older $19.99 158 27% 4.7k $95k (exactly $94,753) Rightsized Games
Quarantineer older $9.99 307 80% 9.2k $92k (exactly $92,008) Papaonn
Repterra $19.99 122 90% 3.7k $73k (exactly $73,163) Chute Apps
Rebirth evolution older $8.99 125 61% 3.8k $34k (exactly $33,712) 异界游网络科技
Genesis of a Small God $17.99 61 80% 1.8k $33k (exactly $32,922) Pierre Nury
Post-Apo Builder $9.99 54 37% 1.6k $16k (exactly $16,184) Septarian Games
Apocalypse Factory · EA $9.99 8 50% 240 $2.4k (exactly $2,398) Mind Leak
英雄荣光医院 $6.99 11 100% 330 $2.3k (exactly $2,307) Areas R
Dead Night Highway $9.99 4 100% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) Mr. Pink
World War Forex · EA $12.99 1 100% 30 $390 (exactly $390) Leobot Electronics, Leon Botha, INESSOFT
Lord Of Anatolia $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Mustafa Aykut Karacan

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