Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Steampunk
Should I ship a Steampunk Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Steampunk
Only 14 developers shipped a Steampunk Deckbuilding 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, FrostBound, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $530k, ×856 the market median. Revenue is up 5000% on the market; 29 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,797) |
| Top 25% | $47k (exactly $47,218) |
| Top 5% | $538k (exactly $537,841) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 28 |
| Announced | 29 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 5000% on the market, supply 80% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, 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
- Steampunk
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Deckbuilding; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Card Game, Strategy, Adventure
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 1,793 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 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
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech | older | $24.99 | 1,953 87% | 59k | $1.5M (exactly $1,464,164) | Image & Form Games |
| | FrostBound | $14.99 | 1,196 82% | 36k | $538k (exactly $537,841) | Lyra Studio | |
| | Sovereign Syndicate | older | $19.99 | 573 79% | 17k | $344k (exactly $343,628) | Crimson Herring Studios |
| | Erannorth Chronicles | older | $20.99 | 407 85% | 12k | $256k (exactly $256,288) | Spyridon Thalassinos |
| | Hunter's Moon: A Sovereign Syndicate Adventure | $19.99 | 205 83% | 6.2k | $123k (exactly $122,938) | Crimson Herring Studios | |
| | Ironclad Tactics | older | $14.99 | 237 75% | 7.1k | $107k (exactly $106,579) | Zachtronics |
| | Snow Ash | $14.99 | 179 73% | 5.4k | $80k (exactly $80,496) | Ember Studio | |
| | Dawnmaker | older | $14.99 | 156 91% | 4.7k | $70k (exactly $70,153) | Arpentor Studio |
| | Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage | · EA | $14.99 | 105 60% | 3.2k | $47k (exactly $47,218) | Fabled Game |
| | Break Siege | · EA | $14.99 | 66 84% | 2.0k | $30k (exactly $29,680) | FojoGames |
| | King’s Well | $14.99 | 17 76% | 510 | $7.6k (exactly $7,645) | Fire Brick Games | |
| | BULLACATOR -pusher tank battle- | · EA | $5.99 | 10 80% | 300 | $1.8k (exactly $1,797) | mongata,K.K |
| | The Mnemograph | · EA | $4.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $1.3k (exactly $1,347) | Thousands of Daggers |
| | Gemwielders | $9.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $899 (exactly $899) | Simon Sailer, Enhydra Games | |
| | Cardio | $4.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | Mat'ndCo |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.