Do I ship it?

Games › CRPG › CRPG + Zombies

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Zombie CRPG?

CRPG + Zombies

Only 8 developers shipped a Zombie 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, The Necromancer's Tale, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced, ×5.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $1.2k against a market of $1.5k. 16 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 16 announced, ×5.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Zombies
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 8
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.0k → $2.5k → $25k → $1.2k
Outcomes for CRPG + Zombies: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 8
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,166)
Top 25% $28k (exactly $27,651)
Top 5% $690k (exactly $690,474)
Developers, 2 yr 8
Released games 38
Announced 16
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 40% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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
Zombies
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
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 3,653 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $27k, 1 in 20 over $690k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 5 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

CRPG with a different setting or mood, 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

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 2024 · $1.3M The Necromancer's Tale 2025 · $690k Zombie Shooter 2009 · $136k Ludus Mortis 2024 · $50k Bakahazard 1+2 2024 · $28k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord older $34.99 1,209 77% 36k $1.3M (exactly $1,269,087) Digital Eclipse
The Necromancer's Tale $24.99 921 91% 28k $690k (exactly $690,474) Psychic Software
Zombie Shooter older $4.99 911 82% 27k $136k (exactly $136,377) Sigma Team Inc.
Ludus Mortis older $17.99 93 89% 2.8k $50k (exactly $50,192) 68k Studios
Bakahazard 1+2 $3.99 231 99% 6.9k $28k (exactly $27,651) 流比奈梦工厂
Zombie Party 丧尸派对 older $5.99 140 77% 4.2k $25k (exactly $25,158) Joychasing Games
Beauty Escort older $14.99 25 72% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) Erogenous Moonlight
異星病毒Alien virus older $4.99 47 87% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) ADO, Sand Traveler
Case 02: Paranormal Evil older $5.99 37 94% 1.1k $6.6k (exactly $6,649) Sounding Stone / 老奉毊, MaouCat Studio /… (Sounding Stone / 老奉毊, MaouCat Studio / 魔王貓工作室)
Day Zero · EA $4.99 39 79% 1.2k $5.8k (exactly $5,838) Imdie Studios
Convict Team Tactics $2.99 13 92% 390 $1.2k (exactly $1,166) Asocial Guarantee
Uncanny Valley: Le Petit Morte $14.99 1 100% 30 $450 (exactly $450) Chris King
Dr. Alb's Prodigy $5.99 2 100% 60 $359 (exactly $359) Super Tiny Studios Ltd
Dirt $0.99 5 100% 150 $148 (exactly $148) 海边的taku
ZONE 47 $2.55 1 100% 30 $76 (exactly $76) 7trange Play

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