Do I ship it?

Games › Co-op › Co-op + Deckbuilding

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Co-op Deckbuilding?

Co-op + Deckbuilding

Of 33 developers who shipped a Co-op Deckbuilding 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.. 105 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×1.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $390; 1 in 20 cleared $330k, ×225 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 105 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 105 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + Deckbuilding
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 33
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $21k → $21k → $122k → $2.2k → $21k → $839 (still earning) → $1.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + Deckbuilding: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 33
Bottom 30% $390 (exactly $390)
Median $2.2k (exactly $2,158)
Top 25% $23k (exactly $23,384)
Top 5% $337k (exactly $337,462)
Developers, 2 yr 33
Released games 81
Announced 105
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 50% on the market, supply 350% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 25%, 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.

Co-op
effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
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
Co-op, Deckbuilding; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Online Co-Op, RPG
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 61% positive over 186,514 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $390, median $2.2k, 1 in 4 over $23k, 1 in 20 over $330k.

3 in 10 developers made under $390. 6 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 105 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SuperheroFair9 devs · median $11k · 17 announced
  2. + Boomer ShooterFair16 devs · median $6.9k · 24 announced
  3. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 32 announced
  4. + NinjaFair13 devs · median $4.2k · 13 announced
  5. + TypingLong shot16 devs · median $810 · 13 announced
  6. + Word GameLong shot23 devs · median $267 · 23 announced
  7. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds58 devs · median $515k · 127 announced
  8. + World War IIPoor odds12 devs · median $372k · 23 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds48 devs · median $369k · 110 announced
  10. + TransportationPoor odds17 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $164k · 19 announced
  12. + Turn-BasedPoor odds12 devs · median $131k · 19 announced

All 230 pairs on the Co-op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Slay the Spire 2 2026 · EA · $138M Across the Obelisk 2022 · $6.4M HELLCARD 2024 · $2.5M Spirit Island 2020 · $1.2M TerraScape 2024 · $930k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Slay the Spire 2 · EA $24.99 183,764 61% 5.5M $138M (exactly $137,767,871) Mega Crit
Across the Obelisk older $19.99 10,689 80% 321k $6.4M (exactly $6,410,193) Dreamsite Games
HELLCARD older $24.99 3,368 86% 101k $2.5M (exactly $2,524,990) Thing Trunk
Spirit Island older $24.99 1,545 91% 46k $1.2M (exactly $1,158,286) Handelabra Games Inc.
TerraScape older $14.99 2,068 88% 62k $930k (exactly $929,980) Bitfall Studios
Hexarchy older $19.99 1,231 83% 37k $738k (exactly $738,231) Main Tank Software
Spellmasons older $19.99 1,122 91% 34k $673k (exactly $672,863) Octavia Blue
Ticket to Ride® older $14.99 1,057 69% 32k $475k (exactly $475,333) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
Q-UP $9.99 1,126 93% 34k $337k (exactly $337,462) Everybody House Games
Viractal: Will You Trust Your Party? $24.99 448 88% 13k $336k (exactly $335,866) Sting
Archons $9.99 406 92% 12k $122k (exactly $121,678) BulletHell Studios
Eyes of Hellfire · EA $9.99 153 70% 4.6k $46k (exactly $45,854) Gambrinous
2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces · EA $12.99 115 84% 3.5k $45k (exactly $44,816) Ground Shatter
I'm No Demonlord $8.99 163 84% 4.9k $44k (exactly $43,961) NiaoWu Studio
Evolve or Die $4.99 252 98% 7.6k $38k (exactly $37,724) Seal
Fairtravel Battle CCG · EA $14.99 52 98% 1.6k $23k (exactly $23,384) Flaming Torch Games
Keep the Heroes Out $19.99 35 60% 1.1k $21k (exactly $20,990) Brueh Games, YarnCat Games

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