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Should I ship a Crafting Turn-Based Combat game?
Crafting + Turn-Based Combat
Of 83 developers who shipped a Crafting Turn-Based Combat 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.. 160 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $5.4k, ×8.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $300k, ×491 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 160 games are announced against 59 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $597 (exactly $597) |
|---|---|
| Median | $5.4k (exactly $5,397) |
| Top 25% | $30k (exactly $29,667) |
| Top 5% | $308k (exactly $308,323) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 83 |
| Released games | 240 |
| Announced | 160 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $11.99 |
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 65% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Crafting
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Turn-Based Combat
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Crafting, Turn-Based Combat; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Exploration, Adventure
- Price point
- $11.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Anime, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 4,250 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 9 in 10 of the 31 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 160 games are announced against 59 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Crafting with a different second tag, 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
DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition 2020 · $13M 
WitchSpring R 2023 · $7.2M 
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes 2024 · $4.7M 
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream 2022 · $3.9M 
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling 2019 · $3.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition | older | $39.99 | 10,446 92% | 313k | $13M (exactly $12,532,066) | Square Enix |
| | WitchSpring R | older | $34.99 | 6,858 95% | 206k | $7.2M (exactly $7,198,843) | KIWIWALKS |
| | Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes | older | $49.99 | 3,164 75% | 95k | $4.7M (exactly $4,745,051) | Rabbit & Bear Studios |
| | Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream | older | $59.99 | 2,166 94% | 65k | $3.9M (exactly $3,898,150) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling | older | $19.99 | 5,198 97% | 156k | $3.1M (exactly $3,117,241) | Moonsprout Games |
 | UnderRail | older | $14.99 | 6,385 86% | 192k | $2.9M (exactly $2,871,334) | Stygian Software |
 | Terminus: Zombie Survivors | older | $19.99 | 4,340 94% | 130k | $2.6M (exactly $2,602,698) | Longplay Studios |
 | Dead Age | older | $14.99 | 4,407 83% | 132k | $2.0M (exactly $1,981,828) | Silent Dreams |
 | SKYHILL | older | $9.99 | 4,736 78% | 142k | $1.4M (exactly $1,419,379) | Mandragora |
 | Soulash 2 | · EA older | $18.99 | 2,382 85% | 71k | $1.4M (exactly $1,357,025) | Artur Smiarowski |
 | Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian | $59.99 | 714 89% | 21k | $1.3M (exactly $1,284,986) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Urban Strife | $34.99 | 653 69% | 20k | $685k (exactly $685,454) | White Pond Games | |
 | Ova Magica | $29.99 | 581 91% | 17k | $523k (exactly $522,726) | ClaudiaTheDev, Skinny Frog | |
 | Labyrinth of Touhou Tri -The Dreaming Girls & The Mysterious Orbs- | $19.99 | 616 82% | 18k | $369k (exactly $369,415) | Nise-Eikoku Studio | |
 | Fallen Priestess: My Sister's Demonic Bloodline | $18.99 | 622 72% | 19k | $354k (exactly $354,353) | BBQ大好き | |
 | Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout DX | $39.99 | 257 76% | 7.7k | $308k (exactly $308,323) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Ascend From Nine Mountains | · EA | $19.99 | 324 92% | 9.7k | $194k (exactly $194,303) | Nine Ascension Studios |
 | Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy DX | $39.99 | 110 85% | 3.3k | $132k (exactly $131,967) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key DX | $39.99 | 102 80% | 3.1k | $122k (exactly $122,369) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Seeds of Calamity | $14.99 | 271 78% | 8.1k | $122k (exactly $121,869) | Laborious Lark Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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