Do I ship it?

GamesDeckbuildingDeckbuilding + Psychological Horror

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Psychological-Horror Deckbuilding?

Deckbuilding + Psychological Horror

Of 35 developers who shipped a Psychological-Horror 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.. 65 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $14k, ×30 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.5M, ×3278 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 65 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 29.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 65 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Psychological Horror
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 35
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $98k → $713k → $8.1k → $14k (still earning) → $2.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Psychological Horror: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 35
Bottom 30% $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Median $14k (exactly $14,017)
Top 25% $106k (exactly $106,294)
Top 5% $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978)
Developers, 2 yr 35
Released games 53
Announced 65
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $7.99

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 150% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
Psychological Horror
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Deckbuilding; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Multiple Endings, RPG
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Stylized, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 31,193 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.1k, median $14k, 1 in 4 over $100k, 1 in 20 over $1.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.1k. 2 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 65 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 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
Library Of Ruina older $29.99 40,605 94% 1.2M $37M (exactly $36,532,318) ProjectMoon
Nubby's Number Factory $4.99 18,138 97% 544k $2.7M (exactly $2,715,259) MogDogBlog Productions
Matchmaking Inc. $8.99 5,773 87% 173k $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978) Wave Games
Spirit Island older $24.99 1,545 91% 46k $1.2M (exactly $1,158,286) Handelabra Games Inc.
Office Life $19.99 1,725 88% 52k $1.0M (exactly $1,034,482) LeiYun Games
Deck of Haunts $19.99 1,206 84% 36k $723k (exactly $723,238) Mantis
Out Of Hands $17.99 1,322 93% 40k $713k (exactly $713,483) Game River
METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED older $9.99 1,639 69% 49k $491k (exactly $491,208) SNK CORPORATION
Shadow Corridor 2 雨ノ四葩 older $18.99 853 87% 26k $486k (exactly $485,954) Space Onigiri Game LLC
Q-UP $9.99 1,126 93% 34k $337k (exactly $337,462) Everybody House Games
Roots Devour $14.99 479 68% 14k $215k (exactly $215,406) Rewinding Games
Kumitantei: Old-School Slaughter $14.99 314 90% 9.4k $141k (exactly $141,206) Mango Factory
ROGUE LIGHT DECK BUILDER $3.99 888 94% 27k $106k (exactly $106,294) Gil Lawson
Exorcism Agency $12.99 222 91% 6.7k $87k (exactly $86,513) YINGGUO GAME

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