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Should I ship a Deckbuilding Top-Down Shooter?
Deckbuilding + Top-Down Shooter
Of 29 developers who shipped a Deckbuilding Top-Down Shooter 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.. 54 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×6.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $960; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×295 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 54 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $959 (exactly $959) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,994) |
| Top 25% | $15k (exactly $14,840) |
| Top 5% | $140k (exactly $140,080) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 29 |
| Released games | 58 |
| Announced | 54 |
| 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 25% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Top-Down Shooter
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Deckbuilding, Top-Down Shooter; all of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, Bullet Hell
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Top-Down, Funny
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 4,302 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $960. 6 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 54 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different second tag, 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
SNKRX 2021 · $377k 
Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot 2024 · $237k 
Bioweaver 2024 · $140k 
SHOOPER NOVA 2025 · $114k 
Star Survivor 2024 · $81k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 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 | |
| | Bioweaver | $6.99 | 668 77% | 20k | $140k (exactly $140,080) | Emprom Game, Wild Kid Games | |
| | 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 | |
 | Dark Fairy Tale: Dreamland Survivors | $4.99 | 479 90% | 14k | $72k (exactly $71,706) | BINGOBELL | |
 | Towerful Defense: A Rogue TD | older | $9.99 | 209 70% | 6.3k | $63k (exactly $62,637) | Mini Fun Games |
 | Neon Sundown | older | $4.99 | 372 87% | 11k | $56k (exactly $55,688) | Ben Nichols |
 | Evolve or Die | $4.99 | 252 98% | 7.6k | $38k (exactly $37,724) | Seal | |
 | Supercat Survivors | $6.99 | 142 80% | 4.3k | $30k (exactly $29,777) | Happy Universe Studios | |
 | Decks of Dexterity | $14.99 | 33 100% | 990 | $15k (exactly $14,840) | Coded Games | |
 | Wink Out | · EA | $7.99 | 31 100% | 930 | $7.4k (exactly $7,431) | Clevergence Games |
 | Last Bullet | $6.99 | 28 100% | 840 | $5.9k (exactly $5,872) | ToxicByteGames |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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