Games › City Builder › City Builder + Robots
Should I ship a Robot City Builder?
City Builder + Robots
Only 12 developers shipped a Robot 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, ZeroSpace, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 22 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.8k, ×6.1 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.3M, ×2218 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 22 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) |
| Top 25% | $18k (exactly $18,034) |
| Top 5% | $1.4M (exactly $1,392,852) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 22 |
| 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 down 55% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, 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
- Robots
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- City Builder
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 2,202 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.2k. 7 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 22 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
City Builder with a different setting or mood, 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
Per Aspera 2020 · $3.7M 
Automation Empire 2019 · $2.3M 
Autonauts 2019 · $2.2M 
ZeroSpace 2026 · EA · $1.4M 
Good Company 2022 · $1.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Per Aspera | older | $29.99 | 4,105 76% | 123k | $3.7M (exactly $3,693,268) | Tlön Industries |
| | Automation Empire | older | $29.99 | 2,584 65% | 78k | $2.3M (exactly $2,324,825) | DOG HOGGLER |
| | Autonauts | older | $19.99 | 3,596 90% | 108k | $2.2M (exactly $2,156,521) | Denki |
| | ZeroSpace | · EA | $39.99 | 1,161 78% | 35k | $1.4M (exactly $1,392,852) | Starlance Studios, Ironward |
| | Good Company | older | $24.99 | 1,480 73% | 44k | $1.1M (exactly $1,109,556) | Chasing Carrots |
 | The Colonists | older | $24.99 | 1,052 85% | 32k | $789k (exactly $788,684) | Codebyfire |
 | Microtopia | $19.99 | 881 87% | 26k | $528k (exactly $528,336) | Cordyceps Collective | |
 | Autonauts vs Piratebots | older | $19.99 | 334 80% | 10k | $200k (exactly $200,300) | Denki |
 | Smart Factory Tycoon | older | $14.99 | 194 67% | 5.8k | $87k (exactly $87,242) | Turquoise Revival Games |
 | Facteroids | older | $14.99 | 77 79% | 2.3k | $35k (exactly $34,627) | by Jan Zizka |
 | Death row inmates on the run 2--The Resistance | $6.99 | 86 55% | 2.6k | $18k (exactly $18,034) | zzzgame | |
 | WarOfGods 2 | $29.99 | 13 76% | 390 | $12k (exactly $11,696) | Mensa World | |
 | HexaScape: Cyber Defense | $14.99 | 15 100% | 450 | $6.7k (exactly $6,746) | Clockwork Origins | |
 | Ekoh Beach | $7.99 | 16 68% | 480 | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) | Zenland Games | |
 | Rescue Team: Legion of Destruction | $6.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) | Game Mixer | |
 | Orbiteers | $4.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | Northborne Studios | |
 | Terraspace | $7.99 | 5 20% | 150 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | Black Apple | |
 | Rogue Drone | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | KBGS |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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