Do I ship it?

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Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Management CRPG?

CRPG + Management

Of 20 developers who shipped a Management CRPG 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.. 63 more are announced, ×7.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $9.6k, ×6.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $10M, ×7288 the market median. Revenue is down 45% on the market; 63 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 45% on the market, 63 announced, ×7.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $99k → $8.5k → $629 → $509k → $1.5k → $57k → $2.4k (still earning) → $153k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $2.1k (exactly $2,097)
Median $9.6k (exactly $9,576)
Top 25% $131k (exactly $131,290)
Top 5% $11M (exactly $10,918,139)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 59
Announced 63
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 45% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 3%, 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.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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
CRPG, Management; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Simulation, Strategy
Price point
$11.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Isometric, Top-Down, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 16,680 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.1k, median $9.6k, 1 in 4 over $130k, 1 in 20 over $10M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.1k. 5 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 63 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + 2D PlatformerFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  6. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  7. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  8. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  9. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  10. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  12. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Big Ambitions 2026 · $11M Blackthorn Arena 2020 · $2.6M Sword and Fairy Inn 2 2022 · $1.2M Blackthorn Arena: Reforged 2024 · $661k Immortal Family 2024 · $509k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Big Ambitions $25.99 14,003 92% 420k $11M (exactly $10,918,139) Hovgaard Games
Blackthorn Arena older $24.99 3,477 69% 104k $2.6M (exactly $2,606,707) PersonaeGame Studio
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 older $19.99 2,013 49% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,207,196) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Blackthorn Arena: Reforged $24.99 882 66% 26k $661k (exactly $661,235) PersonaeGame Studio
Immortal Family older $13.99 1,213 54% 36k $509k (exactly $509,096) 一起来修仙工作室
Parking Tycoon: Business Simulator older $12.99 879 64% 26k $343k (exactly $342,546) Geekon
Escape The Mad Empire · EA $17.99 406 88% 12k $219k (exactly $219,118) XperimentalZ Games
Crisis in the Kremlin older $4.99 1,372 83% 41k $205k (exactly $205,388) Nostalgames
China: Mao's legacy older $6.99 978 90% 29k $205k (exactly $205,087) Nostalgames
Raiders! Forsaken Earth older $19.99 268 80% 8.0k $161k (exactly $160,720) Creative Storm Entertainment
Creator Chronicles $11.99 424 64% 13k $153k (exactly $152,513) Origin Studio
Monarch : Medieval Remastered $11.99 365 80% 11k $131k (exactly $131,290) Mr.Lordy
A Hero's Rest: An RPG Town Simulator $24.99 160 67% 4.8k $120k (exactly $119,952) Vanargand Games
PuPu's Adventure Park $14.99 130 64% 3.9k $58k (exactly $58,461) 西梅树工作室
The Next Journey Of Life $12.99 147 63% 4.4k $57k (exactly $57,286) FOREVER GAME
Slay or Fall $6.99 147 89% 4.4k $31k (exactly $30,826) ostsergey
Holonoptic $19.95 16 93% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,576) Glazial

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