Should I ship an Economy FPS?
FPS + Economy
Of 40 developers who shipped an Economy 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.. 62 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×1.6 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $930k, ×627 the market median. Revenue is up 185% on the market; 62 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.4k (exactly $1,396) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.4k (exactly $2,398) |
| Top 25% | $32k (exactly $32,364) |
| Top 5% | $940k (exactly $939,730) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 40 |
| Released games | 99 |
| Announced | 62 |
| 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 up 185% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, 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, Economy; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Immersive Sim, Management, Simulation
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 6,616 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.4k. 8 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
FPS with a different second tag, 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
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries 2021 · $12M 
Weed Shop 3 2022 · $2.4M 
Gym Simulator 24 2024 · $986k 
The Walking Trade 2026 · $983k 
Football Life Simulator 2025 · EA · $940k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries | older | $29.99 | 13,347 84% | 400k | $12M (exactly $12,008,296) | Piranha Games Inc. |
| | Weed Shop 3 | older | $19.99 | 3,956 93% | 119k | $2.4M (exactly $2,372,413) | Weed Games |
| | Gym Simulator 24 | older | $12.99 | 2,531 84% | 76k | $986k (exactly $986,331) | Red Axe Games |
| | The Walking Trade | $11.99 | 2,733 86% | 82k | $983k (exactly $983,060) | Microwave Games | |
| | Football Life Simulator | · EA | $19.99 | 1,567 68% | 47k | $940k (exactly $939,730) | Ludu Arts |
 | Car Dealership Simulator | older | $9.99 | 1,785 72% | 54k | $535k (exactly $534,964) | Quadfix Games |
 | Drug Lord Tycoon | · EA older | $9.99 | 1,671 83% | 50k | $501k (exactly $500,799) | Duhndal |
 | Estate Agent Simulator | · EA older | $15.99 | 573 67% | 17k | $275k (exactly $274,868) | Kiki Games |
 | Casino Simulator | · EA older | $9.99 | 786 81% | 24k | $236k (exactly $235,564) | Lodos Games |
 | Cinema Simulator 2025 | · EA | $11.99 | 573 76% | 17k | $206k (exactly $206,108) | HOGO Games |
 | Tailor Simulator | · EA | $9.99 | 406 90% | 12k | $122k (exactly $121,678) | Zoady |
 | Beff Jezos Simulator | $9.99 | 387 68% | 12k | $116k (exactly $115,984) | tiplay studio | |
 | Gamer Stop Simulator | · EA | $12.99 | 267 70% | 8.0k | $104k (exactly $104,050) | Red Axe Games |
 | Fracture Point | $19.99 | 158 81% | 4.7k | $95k (exactly $94,753) | Kyrylo Burlaka | |
 | Business Simulator 2026 | · EA | $11.99 | 178 74% | 5.3k | $64k (exactly $64,027) | HOGO Games |
 | Rent A Car Simulator 24 | $12.99 | 154 53% | 4.6k | $60k (exactly $60,014) | 2MEDYA | |
 | Vending Machine Business Simulator | $8.99 | 193 74% | 5.8k | $52k (exactly $52,052) | Crow Interactive |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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