Should I ship a PvE CRPG?
CRPG + PvE
Of 61 developers who shipped a PvE 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.. 112 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×0.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $330; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×160 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 112 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $330 (exactly $330) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) |
| Top 25% | $6.7k (exactly $6,746) |
| Top 5% | $240k (exactly $240,220) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 61 |
| Released games | 152 |
| Announced | 112 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 24%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- CRPG, PvE; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Character Customization, Turn-Based Combat
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Retro
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 15,177 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $330. 8 in 10 of the 39 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 112 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + TabletopFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + IncrementalLong shot
- + FMVPoor odds
- + Card BattlerPoor odds
- + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds
- + SpacePoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
Comparable games
Battle Brothers 2017 · $23M 
MENACE 2026 · EA · $15M 
King Arthur: Knight's Tale 2022 · $9.1M 
Death Trash 2021 · EA · $2.1M 
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2021 · $1.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Battle Brothers | older | $29.99 | 26,118 87% | 784k | $23M (exactly $23,498,365) | Overhype Studios |
| | MENACE | · EA | $39.99 | 12,281 90% | 368k | $15M (exactly $14,733,516) | Overhype Studios |
| | King Arthur: Knight's Tale | older | $44.99 | 6,722 83% | 202k | $9.1M (exactly $9,072,683) | NeocoreGames |
| | Death Trash | · EA older | $19.99 | 3,460 91% | 104k | $2.1M (exactly $2,074,962) | Crafting Legends |
| | Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance | older | $39.99 | 954 81% | 29k | $1.1M (exactly $1,144,514) | Square One Games Inc., Black Isle Studi… (Square One Games Inc., Black Isle Studios) |
 | Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II | older | $39.99 | 641 79% | 19k | $769k (exactly $769,008) | Square One Games Inc., Black Isle Studi… (Square One Games Inc., Black Isle Studios) |
 | Gedonia 2 | · EA | $14.99 | 896 82% | 27k | $403k (exactly $402,931) | Kazakov Oleg |
 | Robber Knight | · EA older | $39.99 | 284 64% | 8.5k | $341k (exactly $340,715) | Sartorian |
 | EdgeOfTheAbyssAwaken | older | $18.99 | 542 67% | 16k | $309k (exactly $308,777) | TrinityBJ |
 | DOKAPON! Sword of Fury | $24.99 | 354 85% | 11k | $265k (exactly $265,394) | Sting | |
 | Expeditions: Samurai | · EA | $29.99 | 267 59% | 8.0k | $240k (exactly $240,220) | Campfire Cabal |
 | Ancient Kingdoms | · EA | $15.99 | 473 86% | 14k | $227k (exactly $226,898) | Ancient Pixels |
 | All in Abyss: Judge the Fake | $15.99 | 375 54% | 11k | $180k (exactly $179,888) | ACQUIRE Corp., WSS playground | |
 | STRANGER SAGA -Stranger Bach and Iskiyeld's Ambition- | $9.89 | 225 86% | 6.8k | $67k (exactly $66,758) | Retro Game Balance & Mechanics -レトロ… (Retro Game Balance & Mechanics -レトロゲームの手応えとバランスを追求するデザイン工房-) | |
 | Cyclopean: The Great Abyss | $9.99 | 163 89% | 4.9k | $49k (exactly $48,851) | Schmidt Workshops | |
 | Dawn of the Ashen Queen | $19.99 | 60 81% | 1.8k | $36k (exactly $35,982) | Shattered Moon Games | |
 | Claymores of the Lost Kingdom | $9.99 | 83 67% | 2.5k | $25k (exactly $24,875) | Ultaan Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.