Do I ship it?

GamesDiplomacyDiplomacy + Strategy RPG

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Strategy RPG Diplomacy game?

Diplomacy + Strategy RPG

Only 12 developers shipped a Strategy RPG 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, The End of History, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 42 more are announced, ×5.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $5.4k, ×8.6 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $300k, ×490 the market median. Revenue is up 560% on the market; 42 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 8.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 560% on the market, 42 announced, ×5.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Diplomacy + Strategy RPG
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $32k → $6.0k → $9.9k (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Diplomacy + Strategy RPG: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $5.4k (exactly $5,395)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $20,693)
Top 5% $307k (exactly $307,440)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 50
Announced 42
Effort 6 / 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 up 560% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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
Strategy RPG
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, Strategy RPG
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 70% positive over 900 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $5.4k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $300k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Diplomacy with a different second tag, 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
Hearts of Iron IV older $49.99 274,901 90% 8.2M $412M (exactly $412,269,030) Paradox Development Studio
HighFleet older $29.99 7,024 88% 211k $6.3M (exactly $6,319,493) Konstantin Koshutin
NEBULOUS: Fleet Command · EA older $29.99 4,074 81% 122k $3.7M (exactly $3,665,378) Eridanus Industries
DEFCON older $11.99 3,460 86% 104k $1.2M (exactly $1,244,562) Introversion Software
Rise Of The White Sun - 白日升 older $24.99 721 86% 22k $541k (exactly $540,534) Maestro Cinetik
The Shrouded Isle older $12.99 1,166 71% 35k $454k (exactly $454,390) Jongwoo Kim, Erica Lahaie, FX Bilodeau,… (Jongwoo Kim, Erica Lahaie, FX Bilodeau, Tanya Short)
Star Dynasties older $30.99 421 70% 13k $391k (exactly $391,404) Pawley Games
Base One older $24.99 458 36% 14k $343k (exactly $343,363) PixFroze
The End of History · EA $28.00 366 68% 11k $307k (exactly $307,440) Tatamibeya
Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind older $19.99 460 81% 14k $276k (exactly $275,862) A Sharp
吾皇万岁 $4.99 422 68% 13k $63k (exactly $63,173) AI GAME STUDIO
The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 · EA $29.99 23 60% 690 $21k (exactly $20,693) Ashborne Games
Statecraft: Corrupted Democracy $9.99 33 90% 990 $9.9k (exactly $9,890) Engincan Çiçek, Bad Engine Studio
Nuice Industries · EA $7.99 25 96% 750 $6.0k (exactly $5,992) CastleWind
My Liege $9.99 18 94% 540 $5.4k (exactly $5,395) SugoiPenguin Gaming
World Diplomat $29.99 3 33% 90 $2.7k (exactly $2,699) iGindisGames
President of Steel $5.00 4 75% 120 $600 (exactly $600) volaryus
RUPTURR · EA $5.99 2 100% 60 $359 (exactly $359) Aikon Interactive
Front Frontiers $2.99 4 75% 120 $359 (exactly $359) baus96

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