Do I ship it?

GamesGod GameGod Game + Exploration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Exploration God Game?

God Game + Exploration

Of 41 developers who shipped an Exploration God 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.. 92 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.0k, ×3.2 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $740k, ×1188 the market median. Revenue is up 1505% on the market; 92 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 1505% on the market, 92 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
God Game + Exploration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 41
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.9k → $599 → $4.6k → $3.1k → $150 → $6.8k → $9.4k (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for God Game + Exploration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 41
Bottom 30% $270 (exactly $270)
Median $2.0k (exactly $2,035)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $13,473)
Top 5% $746k (exactly $746,027)
Developers, 2 yr 41
Released games 164
Announced 92
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 1505% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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.

God Game
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Exploration
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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
God Game, Exploration; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Action-Adventure, Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, Cute, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 7,098 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $2.0k, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $740k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 92 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

God Game with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + HistoricalFair19 devs · median $12k · 28 announced
  2. + EconomyFair47 devs · median $2.8k · 58 announced
  3. + PuzzleFair27 devs · median $1.2k · 30 announced
  4. + Inventory ManagementFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced
  5. + DestructionFair19 devs · median $899 · 20 announced
  6. + DystopianFair14 devs · median $898 · 10 announced
  7. + IdlerFair91 devs · median $839 · 95 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair79 devs · median $807 · 71 announced
  9. + ArcadeLong shot17 devs · median $390 · 20 announced
  10. + Farming SimLong shot22 devs · median $359 · 24 announced
  11. + AgricultureLong shot9 devs · median $180 · 7 announced
  12. + Base BuildingPoor odds37 devs · median $28k · 77 announced

All 96 pairs on the God Game page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SPORE™ older $19.99 66,871 92% 2.0M $40M (exactly $40,102,539) Maxis™
Universe Sandbox · EA older $29.99 27,843 96% 835k $25M (exactly $25,050,347) Giant Army
The Universim older $29.99 8,465 79% 254k $7.6M (exactly $7,615,960) Crytivo
SPORE™ Galactic Adventures older $19.99 7,249 89% 217k $4.3M (exactly $4,347,225) EA - Maxis
Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2 older $19.99 7,206 84% 216k $4.3M (exactly $4,321,438) Brilliant Game Studios
Reus 2 older $24.99 2,133 94% 64k $1.6M (exactly $1,599,110) Abbey Games
Sapiens · EA older $24.99 2,052 80% 62k $1.5M (exactly $1,538,384) Majic Jungle
Everything older $14.99 3,189 83% 96k $1.4M (exactly $1,434,093) David OReilly
Stardeus · EA older $29.99 1,430 87% 43k $1.3M (exactly $1,286,571) Kodo Linija
SPORE™ Creepy & Cute Parts Pack older $19.99 2,053 89% 62k $1.2M (exactly $1,231,184) Maxis™
JIANGHU CHRONICLES $17.99 2,046 70% 61k $1.1M (exactly $1,104,226) 一品阁
I Am Jesus Christ $19.99 1,486 87% 45k $891k (exactly $891,154) Space Boat Studios
Stonemachia $19.99 1,244 95% 37k $746k (exactly $746,027) Crossfall Games
Masters of Albion · EA $24.99 607 64% 18k $455k (exactly $455,068) 22cans
Fata Deum - The God Sim · EA $29.99 410 59% 12k $369k (exactly $368,877) 42 Bits Entertainment
Fox Sex Farm $17.99 413 82% 12k $223k (exactly $222,896) R's
Strange Seed $14.99 431 86% 13k $194k (exactly $193,821) Chronicle Games Ltd
The Eastern Sacrifice $9.99 356 55% 11k $107k (exactly $106,693) 五条虾仁(5 shrimps)
Myths and Legends $17.99 54 92% 1.6k $29k (exactly $29,144) Artificial Worlds
Zen World $9.99 51 80% 1.5k $15k (exactly $15,285) Cartboard Games

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