Games › Exploration › Exploration + Local Multiplayer
Should I ship an Exploration Local Multiplayer game?
Exploration + Local Multiplayer
Of 66 developers who shipped an Exploration Local Multiplayer 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.. 153 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×7.6 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×593 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 153 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.6k (exactly $3,597) |
| Top 25% | $28k (exactly $27,891) |
| Top 5% | $282k (exactly $281,859) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 66 |
| Released games | 207 |
| Announced | 153 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $11.99 |
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 down 60% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Exploration
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Local Multiplayer
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Exploration, Local Multiplayer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Local Co-Op, Co-op
- Price point
- $11.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, 3D, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 19,350 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 37 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 153 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Exploration with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + MinigamesFair
- + SpaceshipsFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + WuxiaPoor odds
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + Martial ArtsPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + FMVPoor odds
- + FarmingPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | It Takes Two | older | $39.99 | 218,492 95% | 6.6M | $262M (exactly $262,124,852) | Hazelight Studios |
| | REANIMAL | $39.99 | 13,809 78% | 414k | $17M (exactly $16,566,657) | Tarsier Studios | |
| | Goat Simulator | older | $9.99 | 54,740 90% | 1.6M | $16M (exactly $16,405,578) | Coffee Stain Studios |
| | Amazing Frog? | · EA older | $19.99 | 11,169 94% | 335k | $6.7M (exactly $6,698,049) | Fayju |
| | LEGO® City Undercover | older | $19.99 | 7,414 91% | 222k | $4.4M (exactly $4,446,176) | Traveller's Tales |
| | Katamari Damacy REROLL | older | $29.99 | 4,939 93% | 148k | $4.4M (exactly $4,443,618) | MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd. |
| | Conquest of Elysium 5 | older | $29.99 | 1,872 90% | 56k | $1.7M (exactly $1,684,238) | Illwinter Game Design |
| | Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos | older | $19.99 | 2,705 77% | 81k | $1.6M (exactly $1,622,188) | Heliocentric Studios |
| | Guacamelee! Gold Edition | older | $14.99 | 3,154 93% | 95k | $1.4M (exactly $1,418,354) | Drinkbox Studios |
| | LEGO® Voyagers | $24.99 | 1,859 88% | 56k | $1.4M (exactly $1,393,692) | Light Brick Studio | |
| | Agent 64: Spies Never Die | $21.64 | 863 86% | 26k | $560k (exactly $560,260) | Replicant D6 | |
| | Windswept | $19.99 | 470 92% | 14k | $282k (exactly $281,859) | WeatherFell | |
| | Together: Moon Escape | $9.99 | 868 90% | 26k | $260k (exactly $260,140) | CarlosGameDev | |
| | Coridden | $19.99 | 426 89% | 13k | $255k (exactly $255,472) | Aftnareld | |
| | TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials | $39.99 | 93 78% | 2.8k | $112k (exactly $111,572) | 3DClouds | |
| | Lumberjacked | $4.99 | 647 83% | 19k | $97k (exactly $96,856) | Inner Realm Studios, Dumb Duck Games | |
| | Taival | · EA | $19.99 | 134 83% | 4.0k | $80k (exactly $80,360) | Bonobo Software |
| | Escape From Mandrillia: Local Asymmetric VR+PC | $12.99 | 181 95% | 5.4k | $71k (exactly $70,536) | German Bandera |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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