Games › Crafting › Crafting + Demons
Should I ship a Demon Crafting game?
Crafting + Demons
Of 29 developers who shipped a Demon Crafting 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.. 68 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $5.8k, ×9.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $420k, ×672 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 68 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $5.8k (exactly $5,838) |
| Top 25% | $49k (exactly $48,576) |
| Top 5% | $422k (exactly $422,079) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 29 |
| Released games | 84 |
| Announced | 68 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $10.99 |
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 15% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Crafting; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Base Building
- Price point
- $10.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.
The top 10 games average 70% positive over 3,296 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 68 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Crafting with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + SportsFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + IdlerFair
- + SolitaireFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + WesternPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin | older | $29.99 | 5,004 92% | 150k | $4.5M (exactly $4,502,099) | Edelweiss |
| | Melvor Idle | older | $9.99 | 14,630 90% | 439k | $4.4M (exactly $4,384,611) | Games by Malcs |
| | Shadows: Awakening | older | $29.99 | 1,535 75% | 46k | $1.4M (exactly $1,381,040) | Games Farm |
| | Grind Survivors | $12.99 | 1,332 69% | 40k | $519k (exactly $519,080) | Pushka Studios | |
| | DAIMON BLADES | · EA | $19.90 | 707 69% | 21k | $422k (exactly $422,079) | StreumOn Studio |
| | Wayblazer Dämmerung | $39.99 | 244 65% | 7.3k | $293k (exactly $292,727) | Eushully | |
| | Hell Architect | older | $24.99 | 356 65% | 11k | $267k (exactly $266,893) | Woodland Games |
| | Rune Knights | · EA older | $19.99 | 238 76% | 7.1k | $143k (exactly $142,729) | Aeromir |
| | Hauntsville | $18.99 | 189 68% | 5.7k | $108k (exactly $107,673) | Michael Janisch | |
| | Lazy Witch's Factory | · EA | $15.99 | 204 91% | 6.1k | $98k (exactly $97,859) | MELTCLOCK.Inc |
| | ArkCraft: The Rebirth of the World | $10.99 | 181 71% | 5.4k | $60k (exactly $59,676) | ZD Yazilim | |
| | I Hate This Place | $29.99 | 66 63% | 2.0k | $59k (exactly $59,380) | Rock Square Thunder | |
| | Past Fate | · EA | $19.99 | 81 43% | 2.4k | $49k (exactly $48,576) | Icy North Games |
| | Siren's Well | $24.99 | 62 66% | 1.9k | $46k (exactly $46,481) | OneManOnly Studios | |
| | Dead Finger Dice | $4.99 | 230 78% | 6.9k | $34k (exactly $34,431) | Rocket Adrift Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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