Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Deckbuilding

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Deckbuilding Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Deckbuilding

Of 37 developers who shipped a Deckbuilding Class-Based game 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.. 107 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $360k, ×245 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 107 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 107 announced, ×4.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Deckbuilding
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 37
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.3k → $10k → $37k → $13k → $1.1k → $7.2k → $3.3k (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Deckbuilding: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 37
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $1.7k (exactly $1,679)
Top 25% $7.3k (exactly $7,253)
Top 5% $367k (exactly $367,405)
Developers, 2 yr 37
Released games 86
Announced 107
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 35% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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.

Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based, Deckbuilding; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelite, Strategy, RPG
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 3,731 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $1.7k, 1 in 4 over $7.2k, 1 in 20 over $360k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 7 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 107 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair19 devs · median $6.6k · 22 announced
  2. + Bullet HeavenFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 38 announced
  3. + SupernaturalLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  4. + 2D PlatformerLong shot26 devs · median $539 · 30 announced
  5. + FPSPoor odds22 devs · median $70k · 70 announced
  6. + MMORPGPoor odds7 devs · median $61k · 57 announced
  7. + Base BuildingPoor odds18 devs · median $33k · 44 announced
  8. + WarPoor odds17 devs · median $32k · 59 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds16 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  11. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  12. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Gloomhaven 2021 · $14M Dice & Fold 2024 · $1.4M Dice Gambit 2025 · $810k RUNGORE 2024 · $446k SNKRX 2021 · $377k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Gloomhaven older $34.99 13,628 82% 409k $14M (exactly $14,305,312) Flaming Fowl Studios, Saber Interactive
Dice & Fold older $12.99 3,491 83% 105k $1.4M (exactly $1,360,443) Tinymice Entertainment
Dice Gambit $24.99 1,080 87% 32k $810k (exactly $809,676) Chromatic Ink
RUNGORE older $14.99 991 85% 30k $446k (exactly $445,653) YOUR_MOM'S_HP, RavenJm
SNKRX older $2.99 4,198 94% 126k $377k (exactly $376,561) a327ex
Down with the Ship · EA $14.99 817 93% 25k $367k (exactly $367,405) Iron Anchor Games
Shadowveil: Legend of The Five Rings $24.99 469 74% 14k $352k (exactly $351,609) Palindrome Interactive
Quantum Protocol older $12.99 625 90% 19k $244k (exactly $243,562) Kaio Meris
Monster Slayers older $8.99 804 79% 24k $217k (exactly $216,839) Nerdook Productions
Dawncaster | The RPG Cardventure $19.99 274 81% 8.2k $164k (exactly $164,318) Wanderlost Interactive
Spin Hero $7.99 573 73% 17k $137k (exactly $137,348) Sphere Studios
Flowers and Deities $12.99 265 90% 8.0k $103k (exactly $103,270) Chill Winter Studio
Yuma Nest · EA $19.99 57 89% 1.7k $34k (exactly $34,183) Piokou
Luck & Loot $7.99 138 90% 4.1k $33k (exactly $33,079) SMARTcreative
Card Artisan $12.99 36 91% 1.1k $14k (exactly $14,029) Fullen Games
Seekers of Eclipse $10.99 22 86% 660 $7.3k (exactly $7,253) ThinKING Cat Games

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