Do I ship it?

GamesPvPPvP + CRPG

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a PvP CRPG?

PvP + CRPG

Only 13 developers shipped a paid PvP CRPG 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, DOKAPON! Sword of Fury, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 6 in 10 of the games here are free to play and sit outside these figures. 44 more are announced, ×5.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×0.8 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×177 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 44 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 44 announced, ×5.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
PvP + CRPG
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: $2.4k → $1.2k → $300 → $4.5k → $1.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for PvP + CRPG: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Top 25% $3.1k (exactly $3,050)
Top 5% $265k (exactly $265,394)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 100
Announced 44
Effort 8 / 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 50% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 62%, 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.

PvP
effort 8 / 10 · low · authoritative servers, latency compensation, cheating
CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
PvP, CRPG
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 446 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $3.0k, 1 in 20 over $260k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 7 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 44 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + BaseballFair6 devs · median $7.6k · 9 announced
  2. + TransportationFair10 devs · median $5.7k · 11 announced
  3. + BasketballFair25 devs · median $2.6k · 28 announced
  4. + Football (American)Fair17 devs · median $1.8k · 12 announced
  5. + BikesFair10 devs · median $1.5k · 7 announced
  6. + GolfFair29 devs · median $1.4k · 34 announced
  7. + World War IFair12 devs · median $1.3k · 14 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair36 devs · median $1.2k · 48 announced
  9. + BilliardsFair18 devs · median $1.1k · 12 announced
  10. + TennisLong shot17 devs · median $899 · 15 announced
  11. + TypingLong shot28 devs · median $719 · 31 announced
  12. + SpellingLong shot14 devs · median $719 · 17 announced

All 247 pairs on the PvP page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition older $44.99 180,782 95% 5.4M $244M (exactly $244,001,465) Larian Studios
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 older $19.99 2,013 49% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,207,196) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Swords and Sandals Immortals older $11.99 1,056 84% 32k $380k (exactly $379,843) Whiskeybarrel Studios
DOKAPON! Sword of Fury $24.99 354 85% 11k $265k (exactly $265,394) Sting
Hand Simulator: Rendezvous older $2.99 1,654 87% 50k $148k (exactly $148,364) Alice Pie
心动满屋 older $3.99 218 75% 6.5k $26k (exactly $26,095) 成都萌创科技有限公司
正宗台湾十六张麻将3 older $6.99 47 63% 1.4k $9.9k (exactly $9,856) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Gravebind · EA $14.99 15 93% 450 $6.7k (exactly $6,746) Seamless Network Systems, LLC
CHAOS - In the Darkness older $7.99 28 28% 840 $6.7k (exactly $6,712) 4Realms
Lunaela older $9.99 16 81% 480 $4.8k (exactly $4,795) Doky
Azmar Quest - Text Based RPG $9.99 15 100% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Sevan Soukiassian
Mush Dash · EA $2.99 34 82% 1.0k $3.1k (exactly $3,050) 笨笨Bon, CrazyDog, 邻居家的猫
Kalnazar $9.99 10 70% 300 $3.0k (exactly $2,997) RobotsGames
DOKAPON 3-2-1: Super Collection! $19.99 4 100% 120 $2.4k (exactly $2,399) Sting
Cromania · EA $6.99 6 100% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) Momoiu Cerasela Nicoleta
Archipelago: Island Survival $9.99 4 25% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) FrostFire
Doomsday Draft $6.99 3 100% 90 $629 (exactly $629) Palm and Stars
Magia y Demonios $9.99 1 100% 30 $300 (exactly $300) anyeos

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