Games › Diplomacy › Diplomacy + Turn-Based Tactics
Should I ship a Turn-Based Tactics Diplomacy game?
Diplomacy + Turn-Based Tactics
Of 21 developers who shipped a Turn-Based Tactics Diplomacy game 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.. 50 more are announced, ×4.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×3.1 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $990; 1 in 20 cleared $5.6M, ×8935 the market median. Revenue is up 890% on the market; 50 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $989 (exactly $989) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.9k (exactly $1,946) |
| Top 25% | $51k (exactly $50,974) |
| Top 5% | $5.6M (exactly $5,611,465) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 21 |
| Released games | 77 |
| Announced | 50 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.20 |
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 890% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 5%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Turn-Based Tactics
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Diplomacy, Turn-Based Tactics; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Grand Strategy, Political Sim
- Price point
- $9.20 typical · top 25% priced $59.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $59.99 or above; the middle game at $9.20.
The top 10 games average 51% positive over 53,132 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $990. 7 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Diplomacy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Interactive FictionFair
- + Space SimLong shot
- + Open WorldPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
- + PvPPoor odds
- + SandboxPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + SurvivalPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
- + Alternate HistoryPoor odds
Comparable games
Sid Meier's Civilization VII 2025 · $94M 
ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV 2020 · $24M 
Total War: ROME REMASTERED 2021 · $11M 
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII 2016 · $10M 
ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE 2024 · $5.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sid Meier's Civilization VII | $69.99 | 44,789 48% | 1.3M | $94M (exactly $94,043,463) | Firaxis Games | |
| | ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV | older | $59.99 | 13,086 62% | 393k | $24M (exactly $23,550,874) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | Total War: ROME REMASTERED | older | $29.99 | 12,627 77% | 379k | $11M (exactly $11,360,512) | Creative Assembly, Feral Interactive |
| | Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII | older | $59.99 | 5,828 57% | 175k | $10M (exactly $10,488,652) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE | $59.99 | 3,118 49% | 94k | $5.6M (exactly $5,611,465) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power Up Kit | older | $39.99 | 3,754 92% | 113k | $4.5M (exactly $4,503,674) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
 | Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition | $49.99 | 2,141 68% | 64k | $3.2M (exactly $3,210,858) | Oxide Games | |
 | The Battle of Polytopia | older | $14.99 | 4,731 94% | 142k | $2.1M (exactly $2,127,531) | Midjiwan AB |
 | Renowned Explorers: International Society | older | $19.99 | 2,307 91% | 69k | $1.4M (exactly $1,383,508) | Abbey Games |
 | Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes | older | $24.99 | 1,655 78% | 50k | $1.2M (exactly $1,240,754) | Stardock Entertainment |
 | Politics The Game | $9.99 | 2,526 95% | 76k | $757k (exactly $757,042) | Simplicity Games | |
 | Prime Monster | $19.99 | 308 83% | 9.2k | $185k (exactly $184,708) | Cavalier Game Studios | |
 | Global Protocol: New World Order | · EA | $19.99 | 85 71% | 2.6k | $51k (exactly $50,974) | Dorlion Interactive |
 | Great Powers | $14.99 | 37 67% | 1.1k | $17k (exactly $16,639) | Flame-Dragons, Flame-Dragons | |
 | Dictator Simulator: Gradnar | $4.99 | 84 97% | 2.5k | $13k (exactly $12,575) | GortagonGame | |
 | CEO Sim: Cyberpunk | $14.99 | 20 85% | 600 | $9.0k (exactly $8,994) | JAD Labs | |
 | CastleOn | $9.20 | 24 91% | 720 | $6.6k (exactly $6,624) | Lord Castleon |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.