Do I ship it?

GamesDeckbuildingDeckbuilding + Dystopian

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dystopian Deckbuilding?

Deckbuilding + Dystopian

Of 25 developers who shipped a Dystopian Deckbuilding 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.. 64 more are announced, ×3.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×6.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $330k, ×710 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 64 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 80% on the market, 64 announced, ×3.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Dystopian
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $716 → $27k → $4.9k → $210 (still earning) → $2.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Dystopian: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $898 (exactly $898)
Median $3.0k (exactly $3,000)
Top 25% $27k (exactly $26,989)
Top 5% $337k (exactly $337,462)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 48
Announced 64
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $8.99

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 80% on the market, supply 155% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
Dystopian
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Deckbuilding; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Battler, Card Game
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 3,916 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $3.0k, 1 in 4 over $26k, 1 in 20 over $330k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 6 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 64 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Deckbuilding with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair44 devs · median $2.8k · 51 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  3. + ArcadeFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  4. + 2D FighterFair17 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  5. + Party GameFair22 devs · median $719 · 30 announced
  6. + SwordplayFair11 devs · median $599 · 13 announced
  7. + Point & ClickFair34 devs · median $598 · 36 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair53 devs · median $537 · 79 announced
  9. + LogicFair84 devs · median $419 · 118 announced
  10. + LovecraftianPoor odds19 devs · median $72k · 56 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $30k · 31 announced
  12. + Visual NovelPoor odds36 devs · median $26k · 64 announced

All 141 pairs on the Deckbuilding page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Dune: Imperium older $22.99 3,806 94% 114k $2.6M (exactly $2,624,998) Dire Wolf
As We Descend · EA $19.99 1,336 86% 40k $801k (exactly $801,199) Box Dragon
Q-UP $9.99 1,126 93% 34k $337k (exactly $337,462) Everybody House Games
Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse $19.99 340 77% 10k $204k (exactly $203,898) EXLIX
Aeon's End older $14.99 438 82% 13k $197k (exactly $196,969) Handelabra Games Inc.
Deepest Chamber: Resurrection older $12.99 419 79% 13k $163k (exactly $163,284) Balcony Softworks
System Crash older $14.99 250 83% 7.5k $112k (exactly $112,425) Rogue Moon Studios
Power Chord older $19.99 170 71% 5.1k $102k (exactly $101,949) Big Blue Bubble
Technotopia $4.99 599 86% 18k $90k (exactly $89,670) Yustas
长明火计划 Project: Eternal Flame older $19.99 77 88% 2.3k $46k (exactly $46,177) 唐扬Studio
Red Rocket Defencism $7.99 172 98% 5.2k $41k (exactly $41,228) tiny cactus studio
Dead Finger Dice $4.99 230 78% 6.9k $34k (exactly $34,431) Rocket Adrift Games
Vestiges: Fallen Tribes $24.99 36 80% 1.1k $27k (exactly $26,989) WanadevStudio
Star Mining Co. $8.99 29 82% 870 $7.8k (exactly $7,821) Barney Whiteman
Hostile Takeover $11.99 15 93% 450 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) Whispering Spider Games
Battle Of The Abyss $4.99 33 93% 990 $4.9k (exactly $4,940) 1029studio

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