Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Exploration
Should I ship an Exploration Class-Based game?
Class-Based + Exploration
Of 61 developers who shipped an Exploration 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.. 169 more are announced, ×4.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.3k, ×1.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $1.1M, ×739 the market median. Revenue is up 300% on the market; 169 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $598 (exactly $598) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) |
| Top 25% | $33k (exactly $32,667) |
| Top 5% | $1.1M (exactly $1,106,385) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 61 |
| Released games | 173 |
| Announced | 169 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 300% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Exploration
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Class-Based, Exploration; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Action, Adventure
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 68% positive over 13,070 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 7 in 10 of the 30 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 169 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Bullet HeavenFair
- + SupernaturalLong shot
- + 2D PlatformerLong shot
- + FPSPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
- + WarPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds
- + WargamePoor odds
Comparable games
Deep Rock Galactic 2020 · $273M 
The Elder Scrolls® Online 2017 · $81M 
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 2023 · $6.2M 
FINAL FANTASY 2021 · $2.9M 
PULSAR: Lost Colony 2021 · $2.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Deep Rock Galactic | older | $29.99 | 303,142 97% | 9.1M | $273M (exactly $272,736,857) | Ghost Ship Games |
| | The Elder Scrolls® Online | older | $19.99 | 134,421 82% | 4.0M | $81M (exactly $80,612,274) | ZeniMax Online Studios |
| | Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew | older | $39.99 | 5,190 91% | 156k | $6.2M (exactly $6,226,443) | Mimimi Games |
| | FINAL FANTASY | older | $11.99 | 8,120 95% | 244k | $2.9M (exactly $2,920,764) | Square Enix |
| | PULSAR: Lost Colony | older | $19.99 | 4,409 89% | 132k | $2.6M (exactly $2,644,077) | Leafy Games |
 | FINAL FANTASY VI | older | $17.99 | 4,600 92% | 138k | $2.5M (exactly $2,482,620) | Square Enix |
 | SpiritVale | · EA | $14.99 | 4,755 48% | 143k | $2.1M (exactly $2,138,324) | Baikun Interactive |
 | FINAL FANTASY IV | older | $17.99 | 2,807 91% | 84k | $1.5M (exactly $1,514,938) | Square Enix |
 | SKALD: Against the Black Priory | older | $14.99 | 3,325 93% | 100k | $1.5M (exactly $1,495,252) | High North Studios AS |
 | FINAL FANTASY III | older | $17.99 | 2,639 93% | 79k | $1.4M (exactly $1,424,268) | Square Enix |
 | Erenshor | · EA | $19.99 | 2,153 94% | 65k | $1.3M (exactly $1,291,154) | Burgee Media |
 | FBC: Firebreak | $19.99 | 1,985 65% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,190,404) | Remedy Entertainment | |
 | The Nameless: Slay Dragon | $17.99 | 2,050 91% | 62k | $1.1M (exactly $1,106,385) | The Nameless Epic | |
 | Dimraeth | · EA | $21.99 | 889 80% | 27k | $586k (exactly $586,473) | Mudtek |
 | HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon | $19.99 | 316 77% | 9.5k | $190k (exactly $189,505) | Ars Goetia | |
 | Camelot Unchained | · EA | $9.99 | 369 38% | 11k | $111k (exactly $110,589) | Unchained Entertainment |
 | Afallon | · EA | $11.99 | 262 79% | 7.9k | $94k (exactly $94,241) | Stargazing interactive |
 | Dark Quest 4 | $19.99 | 136 75% | 4.1k | $82k (exactly $81,559) | Brain Seal Ltd | |
 | Hunters Inc | $14.99 | 155 56% | 4.7k | $70k (exactly $69,704) | WYLDERZONE |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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