Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Underground
Should I ship an Underground Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Underground
Only 14 developers shipped an Underground 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, Shroom and Gloom, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.8k, ×7.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×925 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 25 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.8k (exactly $3,775) |
| Top 25% | $7.6k (exactly $7,645) |
| Top 5% | $439k (exactly $439,357) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 25 |
| Announced | 25 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 500% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, 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
- Underground
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Deckbuilding
- Price point
- $6.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 1,781 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 25 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Dungeon 100 | older | $11.99 | 1,562 81% | 47k | $562k (exactly $561,851) | 可布和常常诶 |
| | Shroom and Gloom | · EA | $14.99 | 977 91% | 29k | $439k (exactly $439,357) | Team Lazerbeam |
| | Deepest Chamber: Resurrection | older | $12.99 | 419 79% | 13k | $163k (exactly $163,284) | Balcony Softworks |
| | Backpack Dungeon | $3.99 | 656 87% | 20k | $79k (exactly $78,523) | 夜喵 | |
| | 時巡る宝石精霊 | $15.99 | 35 94% | 1.1k | $17k (exactly $16,790) | 彩羽 | |
| | Dungeon Divers | older | $4.99 | 103 78% | 3.1k | $15k (exactly $15,419) | Wilson The Ball |
| | Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes | older | $4.99 | 52 71% | 1.6k | $7.8k (exactly $7,784) | TERNOX |
| | King’s Well | $14.99 | 17 76% | 510 | $7.6k (exactly $7,645) | Fire Brick Games | |
| | Rift Miner | $7.99 | 31 93% | 930 | $7.4k (exactly $7,431) | TIDERAFT | |
| | IGNISTONE | older | $4.49 | 43 93% | 1.3k | $5.8k (exactly $5,792) | MONO ENTERTAINMENT |
| | Tinker Shot | $4.99 | 30 100% | 900 | $4.5k (exactly $4,491) | CodeRed | |
| | Sweep | $6.99 | 18 77% | 540 | $3.8k (exactly $3,775) | On.Production | |
| | Dungeon & Poker | $6.99 | 13 92% | 390 | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) | Vansonstudio | |
| | Pixel Three Kingdoms: Zombie Dungeon | $9.99 | 3 33% | 90 | $899 (exactly $899) | YYTGAME | |
| | Rogue Cave | $5.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $180 (exactly $180) | Rogue Gecko |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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