Do I ship it?

GamesDiplomacyDiplomacy + Space

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Space Diplomacy game?

Diplomacy + Space

Only 14 developers shipped a Space Diplomacy game 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, Terra Invicta, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 36 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $9.0k, ×14 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $10M, ×17302 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 36 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 14.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 36 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Diplomacy + Space
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $15k → $3.6k → $12k → $9.6k → $539 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Diplomacy + Space: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $9.0k (exactly $8,991)
Top 25% $26k (exactly $25,888)
Top 5% $11M (exactly $10,865,683)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 59
Announced 36
Effort 6 / 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 down 75% on the market, supply 265% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Diplomacy
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Space
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Diplomacy
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 11,730 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $9.0k, 1 in 4 over $25k, 1 in 20 over $10M.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 36 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Diplomacy with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Visual NovelFair16 devs · median $5.4k · 19 announced
  2. + Interactive FictionFair12 devs · median $1.0k · 17 announced
  3. + Space SimLong shot7 devs · median $360 · 14 announced
  4. + Open WorldPoor odds13 devs · median $1.8M · 38 announced
  5. + Base BuildingPoor odds19 devs · median $520k · 47 announced
  6. + PvPPoor odds10 devs · median $124k · 44 announced
  7. + SandboxPoor odds34 devs · median $116k · 89 announced
  8. + City BuilderPoor odds26 devs · median $108k · 47 announced
  9. + SurvivalPoor odds16 devs · median $100k · 28 announced
  10. + 4XPoor odds29 devs · median $86k · 79 announced
  11. + HistoricalPoor odds50 devs · median $79k · 92 announced
  12. + Alternate HistoryPoor odds30 devs · median $79k · 48 announced

All 57 pairs on the Diplomacy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Stellaris older $49.99 139,718 85% 4.2M $210M (exactly $209,535,085) Paradox Development Studio
Terra Invicta $39.99 9,057 80% 272k $11M (exactly $10,865,683) Pavonis Interactive
Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion older $19.99 10,243 93% 307k $6.1M (exactly $6,142,727) Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock En… (Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock Entertainment)
Star Trek: Infinite older $29.99 3,030 41% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,726,091) Nimble Giant Entertainment
Galactic Civilizations IV older $39.99 2,207 72% 66k $2.6M (exactly $2,647,738) Stardock Entertainment
Surviving Mars: Relaunched $39.99 2,202 55% 66k $2.6M (exactly $2,641,739) Haemimont Games
ENDLESS Space™ - Definitive Edition older $9.99 6,626 79% 199k $2.0M (exactly $1,985,812) AMPLITUDE Studios
Interstellar Space: Genesis older $29.99 712 83% 21k $641k (exactly $640,586) Praxis Games
The Fermi Paradox · EA older $18.99 956 76% 29k $545k (exactly $544,633) Anomaly Games
Nexus 5X older $14.99 884 90% 27k $398k (exactly $397,535) Whatboy Games
Realpolitiks 3: Earth and Beyond $24.99 253 39% 7.6k $190k (exactly $189,674) Jujubee
Riftborne · EA $7.99 108 91% 3.2k $26k (exactly $25,888) Pitio Productions
CODE: PANDORA 2 $9.99 35 74% 1.1k $10k (exactly $10,490) Towndarktales
The Diner at the End of the Galaxy · EA $9.99 32 59% 960 $9.6k (exactly $9,590) General Interactive Co.
Donutal $9.99 30 93% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) Arc System Works
Alexandria IV $11.99 5 80% 150 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) J. M. Beraldo, Time Galleon
Space Trader Corps $9.99 5 100% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) D Squires
Fleetfall - Galaxy Domination $5.99 3 100% 90 $539 (exactly $539) Purple Owl

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.