Do I ship it?

Games › CRPG › CRPG + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Management CRPG?

CRPG + Time Management

Of 23 developers who shipped a Time 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.. 23 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $480, ×0.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60. 23 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper, while revenue is down 100% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 23 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 23
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $68k → $120k → $359 → $1.9k → $240 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 23
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $479 (exactly $479)
Top 25% $37k (exactly $36,863)
Top 5% $385k (exactly $385,198)
Developers, 2 yr 23
Released games 41
Announced 23
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 100% on the market, supply 10% fewer 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Time Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Time Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Simulation, Life Sim
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Story Rich, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 16,897 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $480, 1 in 4 over $36k, 1 in 20 over $380k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 5 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 23 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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 Sword and Fairy Inn 2 2022 · $1.2M Handyman Fantasy 2025 · $385k 👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零） 2024 · $147k Dungeon Dreams 2 2024 · $125k
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
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 older $19.99 2,013 49% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,207,196) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
Handyman Fantasy $7.99 1,607 95% 48k $385k (exactly $385,198) SupaShinKen Studio
👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零） $10.99 445 80% 13k $147k (exactly $146,716) 绝汪
Dungeon Dreams 2 older $19.99 209 90% 6.3k $125k (exactly $125,337) DDreams Games
A Hero's Rest: An RPG Town Simulator $24.99 160 67% 4.8k $120k (exactly $119,952) Vanargand Games
Songs of Wuxia older $3.99 768 78% 23k $92k (exactly $91,930) DreamStep
REAL ESTATE Simulator - FROM BUM TO MILLIONAIRE older $12.99 175 44% 5.3k $68k (exactly $68,198) Geekon
Pact Between Us $6.99 267 86% 8.0k $56k (exactly $55,990) MYSTERY CROWN
HOROS - Magnifica older $11.99 127 85% 3.8k $46k (exactly $45,682) Lesson of Passion
Herbals tycoon · EA $9.99 123 76% 3.7k $37k (exactly $36,863) Orange Paper Studio
Betrayed $14.99 45 82% 1.4k $20k (exactly $20,236) Joraell, Darkmage, Dracula Belmont
The Legend of Pomodoro $6.99 94 82% 2.8k $20k (exactly $19,712) Tony Wang
My Wife $1.99 143 94% 4.3k $8.5k (exactly $8,537) Neko Game
Mom Life Simulator · EA $7.99 10 20% 300 $2.4k (exactly $2,397) RioverseGames

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