Do I ship it?

Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Shoot 'Em Up

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Deckbuilding Shoot 'Em Up?

Deckbuilding + Shoot 'Em Up

Only 17 developers shipped a Deckbuilding Shoot 'Em Up 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, Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 26 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 $1.4k, ×2.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $230k, ×499 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 26 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 26 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Shoot 'Em Up
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $599 → $63k → $4.2k → $6.5k (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Shoot 'Em Up: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $1.4k (exactly $1,373)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $11,692)
Top 5% $237k (exactly $237,125)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 42
Announced 26
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 70% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 26%, 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
Shoot 'Em Up
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, Shoot 'Em Up; all of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, Bullet Hell
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Top-Down, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 3,325 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $1.4k, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $230k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 6 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Deckbuilding with a different second tag, 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

The Knight Witch 2022 · $386k SNKRX 2021 · $377k Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot 2024 · $237k Nomad Survival 2022 · $227k SealChain: Call of Blood 2026 · $145k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Knight Witch older $19.99 643 72% 19k $386k (exactly $385,607) Super Mega Team
SNKRX older $2.99 4,198 94% 126k $377k (exactly $376,561) a327ex
Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot $4.99 1,584 79% 48k $237k (exactly $237,125) Konfa Games
Nomad Survival older $4.99 1,517 87% 46k $227k (exactly $227,095) The Fox Knocks
SealChain: Call of Blood $8.99 537 56% 16k $145k (exactly $144,829) AliveGameStudio
SHOOPER NOVA $6.99 545 83% 16k $114k (exactly $114,286) Jamesika
Star Survivor $4.99 540 67% 16k $81k (exactly $80,838) SpaceOwl Games, Erabit
Towerful Defense: A Rogue TD older $9.99 209 70% 6.3k $63k (exactly $62,637) Mini Fun Games
Xmas Apocalypse older $6.99 73 79% 2.2k $15k (exactly $15,308) gypynkt
Adrenaline Rampage $14.99 26 88% 780 $12k (exactly $11,692) Midhard Games
Miracle Brave $6.60 33 78% 990 $6.5k (exactly $6,534) 1029studio
Red Pistol $9.99 14 92% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) Ace Horizon Studios
Gunslinger Express $4.99 20 75% 600 $3.0k (exactly $2,994) Glinnor
GLIMPO $1.99 23 95% 690 $1.4k (exactly $1,373) TheLetterIsH
IKARUS · EA $7.99 3 66% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Magical Something

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