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Should I ship a Zombie Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Zombies
Only 16 developers shipped a Zombie 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, Reap and Rush, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 33 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.5k, ×5.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $840; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×445 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 33 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $839 (exactly $839) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.5k (exactly $3,507) |
| Top 25% | $6.5k (exactly $6,472) |
| Top 5% | $280k (exactly $279,713) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 41 |
| Announced | 33 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 60% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, 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
- Zombies
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Deckbuilding
- Price point
- $7.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 75% positive over 1,141 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $840. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 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
Book of Demons 2018 · $6.0M 
Knock on the Coffin Lid 2024 · $2.0M 
Reap and Rush 2026 · $280k 
Necroking 2024 · $128k 
City Defense Z 2025 · $90k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Book of Demons | older | $24.99 | 8,010 91% | 240k | $6.0M (exactly $6,005,097) | Thing Trunk |
| | Knock on the Coffin Lid | older | $24.99 | 2,727 82% | 82k | $2.0M (exactly $2,044,432) | RedBoon |
| | Reap and Rush | $14.99 | 622 77% | 19k | $280k (exactly $279,713) | Beijing Pacifier Technology | |
| | Necroking | older | $4.99 | 857 81% | 26k | $128k (exactly $128,293) | KORO.GAMES |
| | City Defense Z | $9.99 | 300 74% | 9.0k | $90k (exactly $89,910) | Good Mood Games | |
 | Demonlore | older | $19.99 | 94 85% | 2.8k | $56k (exactly $56,372) | Barrel Smash Studios |
 | Cats on Duty | older | $9.99 | 142 90% | 4.3k | $43k (exactly $42,557) | Prikol Team |
 | The Dead Await | $12.99 | 108 67% | 3.2k | $42k (exactly $42,088) | Shotx | |
 | JARS | older | $11.99 | 104 71% | 3.1k | $37k (exactly $37,409) | Mousetrap Games |
 | Deliverance & Reign | older | $7.99 | 106 80% | 3.2k | $25k (exactly $25,408) | One Up Plus |
 | Necromancer For A Week | $7.99 | 27 96% | 810 | $6.5k (exactly $6,472) | QuietPenguinGaming | |
 | Zombie Epoch:Deck Apocalypse | $7.99 | 27 62% | 810 | $6.5k (exactly $6,472) | HY Indie Game | |
 | Cat Guardian | $7.99 | 19 84% | 570 | $4.6k (exactly $4,554) | Yaeegy | |
 | Red Pistol | $9.99 | 14 92% | 420 | $4.2k (exactly $4,196) | Ace Horizon Studios | |
 | Deadwalker Chronicles | · EA | $12.99 | 9 33% | 270 | $3.5k (exactly $3,507) | Black Phoenix Studio |
 | GAME (not) OVER | $4.99 | 8 100% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | The Croissant Crusaders | |
 | Lucky Shelter | $4.99 | 7 71% | 210 | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) | Doomsayer |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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