Do I ship it?

GamesExplorationExploration + Rome

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Roman Exploration game?

Exploration + Rome

Only 10 developers shipped a Roman Exploration game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Anno 117: Pax Romana, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.4k, ×5.5 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.8k; 1 in 20 cleared $21M, ×34819 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 5.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 20 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Exploration + Rome
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.5k → $3.4k → $2.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Exploration + Rome: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Median $3.4k (exactly $3,443)
Top 25% $26k (exactly $26,387)
Top 5% $22M (exactly $21,866,355)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 32
Announced 20
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $14.99

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 15% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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.

Exploration
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Rome
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
Exploration
Price point
$14.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 69% positive over 12,560 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.8k, median $3.4k, 1 in 4 over $26k, 1 in 20 over $21M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.8k. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair22 devs · median $8.1k · 26 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair31 devs · median $6.7k · 42 announced
  3. + SpaceshipsFair22 devs · median $3.5k · 28 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair122 devs · median $2.2k · 109 announced
  5. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds13 devs · median $215k · 24 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds12 devs · median $192k · 35 announced
  7. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds23 devs · median $82k · 61 announced
  8. + Martial ArtsPoor odds25 devs · median $69k · 90 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds146 devs · median $58k · 354 announced
  10. + MMORPGPoor odds24 devs · median $52k · 213 announced
  11. + FMVPoor odds45 devs · median $27k · 76 announced
  12. + FarmingPoor odds41 devs · median $24k · 58 announced

All 258 pairs on the Exploration page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Anno 117: Pax Romana $59.99 12,150 69% 365k $22M (exactly $21,866,355) Ubisoft Mainz
The Forgotten City older $24.99 11,159 96% 335k $8.4M (exactly $8,365,902) Modern Storyteller
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars older $34.99 2,550 78% 77k $2.7M (exactly $2,676,735) Acme Gamestudio
Ludus older $9.99 794 71% 24k $238k (exactly $237,962) Cheesecake Dev
Asterix & Obelix XXL 3 - The Crystal Menhir older $19.99 360 61% 11k $216k (exactly $215,892) OSome Studio
Summa Expeditionis $19.99 305 68% 9.2k $183k (exactly $182,908) Lobico Games
角斗士学院(Gladiator School) older $5.99 326 92% 9.8k $59k (exactly $58,582) Together Game, project bamboo
I dont Fall older $6.99 169 84% 5.1k $35k (exactly $35,439) PUMPKIM
Roots in the Sky - The Hand of Glory 2 $19.99 44 97% 1.3k $26k (exactly $26,387) Madit Entertainment, Daring Touch
Hidden Cats in Rome older $3.99 176 98% 5.3k $21k (exactly $21,067) Nukearts Studio
Reavers of New Rome $14.99 25 96% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) Renegade Sector Games
Danger in Pompeii $4.99 23 100% 690 $3.4k (exactly $3,443) DNA Studios
Airplane Flight Simulator : EVO $14.99 5 40% 150 $2.2k (exactly $2,248) Ovilex Software
Rod of Asclepius $19.99 3 100% 90 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) Worcco Arts
Gladatora $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Jeremiah Eastman
Aeon Tempus $4.99 3 66% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Hüseyin Akkaya
ChronoQuest VR $7.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Wopper

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