Should I ship a Dinosaur FPS?
FPS + Dinosaurs
Of 20 developers who shipped a Dinosaur FPS 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.. 33 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×2.0 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $550k, ×371 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 33 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $899 (exactly $899) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) |
| Top 25% | $30k (exactly $29,723) |
| Top 5% | $556k (exactly $556,277) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 72 |
| Announced | 33 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 80% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- FPS; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Action-Adventure
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 66% positive over 2,386 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
FPS with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Dating SimFair
- + IdlerFair
- + GamblingFair
- + FaithFair
- + Precision PlatformerFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + RunnerLong shot
- + Action RTSLong shot
- + Bullet HellLong shot
- + DogsLong shot
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | PixARK | older | $19.99 | 11,142 73% | 334k | $6.7M (exactly $6,681,857) | Snail Games USA |
| | Exoprimal | older | $59.99 | 2,581 76% | 77k | $4.6M (exactly $4,645,026) | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| | Primal Carnage: Extinction | older | $12.99 | 8,283 84% | 248k | $3.2M (exactly $3,227,885) | Circle Five Studios, Pub Games |
| | Dino D-Day | older | $9.99 | 8,039 86% | 241k | $2.4M (exactly $2,409,288) | 800 North and Digital Ranch |
| | Turok | older | $19.99 | 3,377 93% | 101k | $2.0M (exactly $2,025,187) | Iguana Entertainment, Nightdive Studios |
| | Turok 2: Seeds of Evil | older | $19.99 | 2,385 91% | 72k | $1.4M (exactly $1,430,284) | Iguana Entertainment, Nightdive Studios |
| | Primal Carnage | older | $4.99 | 4,776 77% | 143k | $715k (exactly $714,967) | Lukewarm Media |
| | ORION: Prelude | older | $0.99 | 19,038 77% | 571k | $565k (exactly $565,429) | DANKIE |
| | FEROCIOUS | $24.99 | 742 63% | 22k | $556k (exactly $556,277) | OMYOG | |
| | Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered | older | $29.99 | 567 85% | 17k | $510k (exactly $510,130) | Nightdive Studios, Iguana Entertainment |
| | Clawed | $19.99 | 729 52% | 22k | $437k (exactly $437,181) | Flatrock Games | |
| | Collision Course | $11.99 | 303 72% | 9.1k | $109k (exactly $108,989) | Crynosaurs | |
| | Rip Current | $8.99 | 114 85% | 3.4k | $31k (exactly $30,746) | Breaking Dimensions, Polygon Dust Enter… (Breaking Dimensions, Polygon Dust Entertainment) | |
| | Mesorift Survival | · EA | $7.99 | 124 67% | 3.7k | $30k (exactly $29,723) | Meik.W Interactive |
| | Son and Bone | $29.99 | 23 56% | 690 | $21k (exactly $20,693) | TeamKill Media | |
| | Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split | $24.99 | 24 50% | 720 | $18k (exactly $17,993) | Dead Drop Studios LLC | |
| | BLOOD MALL: RETAPED | $1.99 | 285 94% | 8.6k | $17k (exactly $17,014) | Ollie Hall | |
| | MIRO | $14.99 | 32 100% | 960 | $14k (exactly $14,390) | Lost Saved Data_ | |
| | Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling | $9.99 | 10 80% | 300 | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) | N'Lightning Software Development, Jorda… (N'Lightning Software Development, Jordan Freeman Group) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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