Do I ship it?

GamesClass-BasedClass-Based + Female Protagonist

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Female-Led Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Female Protagonist

Of 28 developers who shipped a Female-Led 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.. 45 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×2.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×196 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 45 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 45 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Female Protagonist
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.6k → $2.8k → $1.3k → $16k → $1.4k → $4.2k → $6.2k (still earning) → $2.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Female Protagonist: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,293)
Top 25% $7.8k (exactly $7,792)
Top 5% $294k (exactly $294,235)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 76
Announced 45
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 down 40% on the market, supply 90% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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
Female Protagonist
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Turn-Based Strategy, RPG, Choices Matter
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $34.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $34.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 1,355 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.2k, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $7.7k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.2k. 8 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 45 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different setting or mood, 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark older $29.99 4,989 88% 150k $4.5M (exactly $4,488,603) 6 Eyes Studio
BRAVELY DEFAULT II older $59.99 1,732 80% 52k $3.1M (exactly $3,117,080) Square Enix, Claytechworks
FINAL FANTASY VI older $17.99 4,600 92% 138k $2.5M (exactly $2,482,620) Square Enix
Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - $34.99 582 98% 17k $611k (exactly $610,925) さんぼん堂
Corruption of Champions II · EA older $9.99 1,729 91% 52k $518k (exactly $518,181) Salamander Studios
Disciples: Domination $44.99 218 65% 6.5k $294k (exactly $294,235) Artefacts Studio
Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands older $19.99 439 98% 13k $263k (exactly $263,268) Deathbulge, Five Houses LLC
Arcadian Atlas older $19.99 146 56% 4.4k $88k (exactly $87,556) Twin Otter Studios
Witch and Council : The Card $14.99 182 48% 5.5k $82k (exactly $81,845) G1 Playground
Telepath Tactics Liberated older $19.99 120 85% 3.6k $72k (exactly $71,964) Sinister Design
Gales of Nayeli $24.99 87 88% 2.6k $65k (exactly $65,224) Blindcoco Studios
Trials of Valor $18.99 100 95% 3.0k $57k (exactly $56,970) Armored Goblin
Thyria $15.99 113 78% 3.4k $54k (exactly $54,206) Twokats, TwoKats SNC
Soulkin $9.99 26 88% 780 $7.8k (exactly $7,792) Tambu Digital
Funeral Flowers Lament: Helena $16.99 15 73% 450 $7.6k (exactly $7,645) Kiseki Kobo Games
Minerva Labyrinth $14.99 16 100% 480 $7.2k (exactly $7,195) Midnight Spire Games
No More Demon · EA $12.99 16 87% 480 $6.2k (exactly $6,235) Mundus Games

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