Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Modern
Of 26 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 43 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $1.3M, ×2789 the market median. Revenue is up 100% on the market; 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,197) |
| Top 25% | $12k (exactly $11,680) |
| Top 5% | $1.3M (exactly $1,324,911) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 26 |
| Released games | 43 |
| Announced | 43 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 up 100% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Modern
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Deckbuilding; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Game, Management
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 56% positive over 27,133 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + LogicFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
Broken Arrow 2025 · $39M 
Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days 2022 · $2.5M 
Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days 2 2025 · $1.3M 
Entertainment Simulator 2026 · $103k 
Lunchbreak Tactics 2026 · $56k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Broken Arrow | $49.99 | 25,924 55% | 778k | $39M (exactly $38,878,223) | Steel Balalaika | |
| | Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days | older | $69.99 | 1,186 76% | 36k | $2.5M (exactly $2,490,244) | FURYU Corporation, LANCARSE Ltd. |
| | Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days 2 | $69.99 | 631 67% | 19k | $1.3M (exactly $1,324,911) | FURYU Corporation, LANCARSE Ltd. | |
| | Entertainment Simulator | $18.99 | 181 73% | 5.4k | $103k (exactly $103,116) | Grizzbera Studio | |
| | Lunchbreak Tactics | $14.99 | 124 76% | 3.7k | $56k (exactly $55,763) | Borealys Games | |
 | Calculate It | · EA older | $6.99 | 264 87% | 7.9k | $55k (exactly $55,361) | SVGames |
 | Tanto Cuore | older | $9.99 | 168 91% | 5.0k | $50k (exactly $50,350) | Japanime Digital, Wedontknow Games |
 | 2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces | · EA | $12.99 | 115 84% | 3.5k | $45k (exactly $44,816) | Ground Shatter |
 | Showrunner | · EA older | $8.99 | 108 71% | 3.2k | $29k (exactly $29,128) | Inexplicable Games |
 | 回到2001买房子 | $19.99 | 48 72% | 1.4k | $29k (exactly $28,786) | 新起点制作组 | |
 | Pegs X Stickers | $5.99 | 65 87% | 2.0k | $12k (exactly $11,680) | Mister Morris Games, Tyler Ray Games | |
 | ModernFire | · EA | $9.99 | 21 90% | 630 | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) | FireLineGames |
 | ジャリネスハートPro | $6.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $2.9k (exactly $2,936) | savedtekty a.k.a てく | |
 | VTBattle-VTubers aren't about the number of subscribers! It's about power! | $8.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $2.7k (exactly $2,697) | WataritamaStudio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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