Do I ship it?

Games › Co-op › Co-op + Dinosaurs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dinosaur Co-op game?

Co-op + Dinosaurs

Only 9 developers shipped a Dinosaur Co-op game 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, Clawed, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×5.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $34k, ×23 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $13k; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×292 the market median. Revenue is up 460% on the market; 29 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 22.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 460% on the market, 29 announced, ×5.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + Dinosaurs
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $13k → $102k → $403k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + Dinosaurs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $13k (exactly $12,944)
Median $34k (exactly $33,728)
Top 25% $377k (exactly $377,211)
Top 5% $437k (exactly $437,181)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 41
Announced 29
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $19.99

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 460% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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
Dinosaurs
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Co-op
Price point
$19.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 2,427 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $13k, median $34k, 1 in 4 over $370k, 1 in 20 over $430k.

3 in 10 developers made under $13k. 29 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different setting or mood, 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

ARK: Survival Evolved 2017 · $264M The Isle 2015 · EA · $67M PixARK 2019 · $6.7M Beasts of Bermuda 2018 · EA · $5.1M LEGO® Jurassic World 2015 · $4.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ARK: Survival Evolved older $14.99 586,768 83% 18M $264M (exactly $263,869,570) Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto… (Studio Wildcard, Instinct Games, Efecto Studios, Virtual Basement LLC)
The Isle · EA older $19.99 111,397 80% 3.3M $67M (exactly $66,804,781) Afterthought LLC
PixARK older $19.99 11,142 73% 334k $6.7M (exactly $6,681,857) Snail Games USA
Beasts of Bermuda · EA older $19.99 8,430 69% 253k $5.1M (exactly $5,055,471) Sastrei Studios, LLC
LEGO® Jurassic World older $19.99 7,797 92% 234k $4.7M (exactly $4,675,861) TT Games Ltd
Dino D-Day older $9.99 8,039 86% 241k $2.4M (exactly $2,409,288) 800 North and Digital Ranch
Primal Carnage older $4.99 4,776 77% 143k $715k (exactly $714,967) Lukewarm Media
ORION: Prelude older $0.99 19,038 77% 571k $565k (exactly $565,429) DANKIE
Clawed $19.99 729 52% 22k $437k (exactly $437,181) Flatrock Games
Dinotica $17.99 746 86% 22k $403k (exactly $402,616) XA Studio
Primal Planet $19.99 629 88% 19k $377k (exactly $377,211) Seethingswarm
Utawarerumono: ZAN 2 $39.99 88 82% 2.6k $106k (exactly $105,574) AQUAPLUS
Utawarerumono: ZAN $39.99 85 77% 2.6k $102k (exactly $101,974) AQUAPLUS
Primeval $14.99 75 60% 2.3k $34k (exactly $33,728) Exhibyte
PAW Patrol™: Dino World $39.99 14 64% 420 $17k (exactly $16,796) 3DClouds
Dino Quake $7.99 54 100% 1.6k $13k (exactly $12,944) Neutronized
Dino Land 「超闘竜烈伝ディノランド」 $5.99 5 100% 150 $898 (exactly $898) Ratalaika Games S.L., Shinyuden
Minidinos $0.99 2 100% 60 $59 (exactly $59) Gordan Glavaš

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