Do I ship it?

GamesRogueliteRoguelite + Crime

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Crime Roguelite?

Roguelite + Crime

Only 13 developers shipped a Crime Roguelite 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, Karate Survivor, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 49 more are announced, ×4.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×1.7 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $140; 1 in 20 cleared $440k, ×714 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 49 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 49 announced, ×4.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Roguelite + Crime
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $1.0k → $2.7k (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Roguelite + Crime: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $132 (exactly $132)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $72k (exactly $71,928)
Top 5% $449k (exactly $448,651)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 29
Announced 49
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 90% on the market, supply 235% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Roguelite
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Crime
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Roguelite; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Arcade, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 4,177 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $140, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $71k, 1 in 20 over $440k.

3 in 10 developers made under $140. 49 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Roguelite with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Real-TimeFair11 devs · median $11k · 14 announced
  2. + ProgrammingFair24 devs · median $9.3k · 28 announced
  3. + VampiresFair60 devs · median $4.8k · 62 announced
  4. + TypingFair29 devs · median $2.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair21 devs · median $2.0k · 23 announced
  6. + IdlerFair166 devs · median $1.5k · 235 announced
  7. + DogsFair30 devs · median $1.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair23 devs · median $1.1k · 23 announced
  9. + Score AttackFair344 devs · median $719 · 450 announced
  10. + Point & ClickFair94 devs · median $600 · 121 announced
  11. + LogicFair144 devs · median $599 · 143 announced
  12. + DwarvesPoor odds21 devs · median $74k · 24 announced

All 229 pairs on the Roguelite page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience older $19.99 2,596 91% 78k $1.6M (exactly $1,556,821) Delve Interactive
Karate Survivor $4.99 2,997 85% 90k $449k (exactly $448,651) Alawar
Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator $19.99 513 91% 15k $308k (exactly $307,646) Strange Scaffold
The Swindle older $14.99 502 64% 15k $226k (exactly $225,749) Size Five Games
Rina's Undercover Train Operation $13.99 286 70% 8.6k $120k (exactly $120,034) Metamorphose
The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike $9.99 240 91% 7.2k $72k (exactly $71,928) MONO ENTERTAINMENT
Trapper: Drug Dealing RPG · EA older $19.99 102 88% 3.1k $61k (exactly $61,169) Lathon Gaming
Mini Thief older $4.99 373 69% 11k $56k (exactly $55,838) Stranga Games, TommahGames
DROP - System Breach older $9.99 178 86% 5.3k $53k (exactly $53,347) Etherfield Studio
Hacky $4.99 95 93% 2.9k $14k (exactly $14,222) Cuddle Code
Blackjack Roulette $2.99 30 83% 900 $2.7k (exactly $2,691) DreamArk Lab
Only Cards $4.99 7 85% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Grim's Studio
Cloak And Coin · EA $4.99 6 100% 180 $898 (exactly $898) netDOT
Second Chance at a Billion $10.00 2 50% 60 $600 (exactly $600) ElderYew
Stellar Hustler $4.39 1 100% 30 $132 (exactly $132) Cenrellia Studios

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