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Should I ship an Online Co-Op Deckbuilding?
Online Co-Op + Deckbuilding
Of 30 developers who shipped an Online Co-Op 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.. 103 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.1k, ×2.1 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $390; 1 in 20 cleared $340k, ×231 the market median. Revenue is up 835% on the market; 103 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $390 (exactly $390) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.1k (exactly $3,118) |
| Top 25% | $23k (exactly $23,384) |
| Top 5% | $346k (exactly $345,755) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 75 |
| Announced | 103 |
| 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 up 835% on the market, supply 400% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 36%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Online Co-Op
- effort 8 / 10 · low · netcode, lobbies and state sync across machines
- Deckbuilding
- effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Online Co-Op, Deckbuilding; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Co-op, RPG
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 3,150 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $390. 5 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 103 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Online Co-Op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Bullet HeavenStrong odds
- + Escape RoomFair
- + TypingFair
- + GamblingFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + World War IIPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
Comparable games
Gloomhaven 2021 · $14M 
Across the Obelisk 2022 · $6.4M 
HELLCARD 2024 · $2.5M 
TerraScape 2024 · $930k 
The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game - Definitive Edition 2019 · $720k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Gloomhaven | older | $34.99 | 13,628 82% | 409k | $14M (exactly $14,305,312) | Flaming Fowl Studios, Saber Interactive |
| | Across the Obelisk | older | $19.99 | 10,689 80% | 321k | $6.4M (exactly $6,410,193) | Dreamsite Games |
| | HELLCARD | older | $24.99 | 3,368 86% | 101k | $2.5M (exactly $2,524,990) | Thing Trunk |
| | TerraScape | older | $14.99 | 2,068 88% | 62k | $930k (exactly $929,980) | Bitfall Studios |
| | The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game - Definitive Edition | older | $19.99 | 1,201 76% | 36k | $720k (exactly $720,240) | · |
 | Spellmasons | older | $19.99 | 1,122 91% | 34k | $673k (exactly $672,863) | Octavia Blue |
 | Vivid World | $19.99 | 591 88% | 18k | $354k (exactly $354,423) | Asobism.Co.,Ltd | |
 | Witch's Apocalyptic Journey | $8.99 | 1,282 84% | 38k | $346k (exactly $345,755) | MeowAlive | |
 | Viractal: Will You Trust Your Party? | $24.99 | 448 88% | 13k | $336k (exactly $335,866) | Sting | |
 | Battle Bands: Rock & Roll Deckbuilder | older | $14.99 | 170 90% | 5.1k | $76k (exactly $76,449) | Aerie Digital |
 | Eyes of Hellfire | · EA | $9.99 | 153 70% | 4.6k | $46k (exactly $45,854) | Gambrinous |
 | 2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces | · EA | $12.99 | 115 84% | 3.5k | $45k (exactly $44,816) | Ground Shatter |
 | I'm No Demonlord | $8.99 | 163 84% | 4.9k | $44k (exactly $43,961) | NiaoWu Studio | |
 | Evolve or Die | $4.99 | 252 98% | 7.6k | $38k (exactly $37,724) | Seal | |
 | Fairtravel Battle CCG | · EA | $14.99 | 52 98% | 1.6k | $23k (exactly $23,384) | Flaming Torch Games |
 | Keep the Heroes Out | $19.99 | 35 60% | 1.1k | $21k (exactly $20,990) | Brueh Games, YarnCat Games | |
 | Flawed Tactics | $9.99 | 59 89% | 1.8k | $18k (exactly $17,682) | Flawed Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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