Do I ship it?

Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Dragons

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dragon Strategy RPG?

Strategy RPG + Dragons

Of 25 developers who shipped a Dragon Strategy RPG 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.. 57 more are announced, ×3.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $1.1M, ×1762 the market median. Revenue is up 1460% on the market; 57 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 1460% on the market, 57 announced, ×3.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy RPG + Dragons
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $25k → $31k → $2.2k → $360 → $7.8k (still earning) → $10k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy RPG + Dragons: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $897 (exactly $897)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,398)
Top 25% $60k (exactly $60,240)
Top 5% $1.1M (exactly $1,106,385)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 78
Announced 57
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 1460% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 26%, 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.

Strategy RPG
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Dragons
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Strategy RPG; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, RPG, Simulation
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 8,470 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $60k, 1 in 20 over $1.1M.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 57 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SportsFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 26 announced
  2. + SwordplayFair22 devs · median $2.7k · 28 announced
  3. + Bullet HellFair40 devs · median $2.0k · 31 announced
  4. + EconomyFair95 devs · median $2.0k · 128 announced
  5. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + ConspiracyFair19 devs · median $1.2k · 21 announced
  7. + Shop KeeperFair21 devs · median $987 · 25 announced
  8. + 2D PlatformerFair108 devs · median $479 · 113 announced
  9. + Point & ClickFair43 devs · median $450 · 47 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds58 devs · median $63k · 76 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds30 devs · median $35k · 41 announced
  12. + 4XPoor odds15 devs · median $31k · 33 announced

All 158 pairs on the Strategy RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Mind Over Magic 2025 · $3.2M Brigandine The Legend of Runersia 2022 · $1.6M The Nameless: Slay Dragon 2024 · $1.1M Elemental: Reforged 2026 · $430k Huaxia: Warring States 2026 · EA · $420k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mind Over Magic $24.99 4,314 86% 129k $3.2M (exactly $3,234,206) Sparkypants
Brigandine The Legend of Runersia older $39.99 1,331 85% 40k $1.6M (exactly $1,596,801) Happinet, Matrix
The Nameless: Slay Dragon $17.99 2,050 91% 62k $1.1M (exactly $1,106,385) The Nameless Epic
Elemental: Reforged $29.99 478 73% 14k $430k (exactly $430,057) Stardock Entertainment
Huaxia: Warring States · EA $19.99 701 61% 21k $420k (exactly $420,390) 秦川汉渚
VenusBlood HOLLOW International older $44.99 287 96% 8.6k $387k (exactly $387,364) Ninetail, Dualtail
BRIGANDINE ABYSS $49.99 248 35% 7.4k $372k (exactly $371,926) Adglobe
Crimson Tactics: The Rise of The White Banner older $29.99 245 46% 7.4k $220k (exactly $220,426) Black March Studios
Sorcerer King: Rivals older $19.99 255 65% 7.7k $153k (exactly $152,924) Stardock Entertainment
The Dragoness: Command of the Flame older $19.99 134 67% 4.0k $80k (exactly $80,360) Crazy Goat Games
Gargadusa's Tower $8.99 294 90% 8.8k $79k (exactly $79,292) The Math Team
Prophecy of Ashen $9.99 201 76% 6.0k $60k (exactly $60,240) hhyuGame
Swords And Magic: Path Of Conquest · EA $9.99 128 77% 3.8k $38k (exactly $38,362) ShadowMoon Wolf Game Tech Ltd
Broken Alliance · EA $14.99 42 80% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Placeholder Gameworks
Aegis Force: The Scorian War · EA $24.99 14 71% 420 $10k (exactly $10,496) Zenahive, Ellipsii

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