Do I ship it?

Games › Tanks › Tanks + Exploration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Exploration Tank game?

Tanks + Exploration

Only 16 developers shipped an Exploration Tank 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, METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 23 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $75 in the last 2 years and $120 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 9 developers shipped in the last year and 23 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 23 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Tanks + Exploration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.1M → $719 → $539 → $128k → $75 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Tanks + Exploration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $75 (exactly $75)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,195)
Top 5% $2.1M (exactly $2,082,806)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 50
Announced 23
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 down 75% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Tanks
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
Tanks, Exploration; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Third-Person Shooter, Action RPG
Price point
$14.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Third Person, Cinematic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $14.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 18,811 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $75, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $2.0M.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 23 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + HistoricalFair25 devs · median $5.4k · 26 announced
  2. + Turn-Based StrategyFair25 devs · median $3.0k · 24 announced
  3. + Turn-Based TacticsFair24 devs · median $3.0k · 24 announced
  4. + Tower DefenseFair14 devs · median $1.5k · 13 announced
  5. + Open WorldFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 11 announced
  6. + 2D PlatformerFair11 devs · median $599 · 11 announced
  7. + Online Co-OpPoor odds10 devs · median $16k · 26 announced
  8. + RPGPoor odds13 devs · median $14k · 8 announced
  9. + Turn-Based CombatPoor odds18 devs · median $7.2k · 23 announced
  10. + Action RTSPoor odds12 devs · median $4.0k · 19 announced
  11. + Real Time TacticsPoor odds22 devs · median $3.2k · 38 announced
  12. + TacticalPoor odds49 devs · median $2.5k · 85 announced

All 71 pairs on the Tanks page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER 2025 · $20M Tank Mechanic Simulator 2020 · $5.3M METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version 2023 · $3.2M METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version 2023 · $2.6M METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty - Master Collection Version 2023 · $2.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER $49.99 13,554 82% 407k $20M (exactly $20,326,934) KONAMI
Tank Mechanic Simulator older $19.99 8,792 87% 264k $5.3M (exactly $5,272,562) DeGenerals S.A.
METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version older $19.99 5,403 89% 162k $3.2M (exactly $3,240,179) KONAMI
METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version older $19.99 4,283 84% 128k $2.6M (exactly $2,568,515) KONAMI
METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty - Master Collection Version older $19.99 3,493 89% 105k $2.1M (exactly $2,094,752) KONAMI
METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Guns of the Patriots - Master Collection Version $29.99 2,315 96% 69k $2.1M (exactly $2,082,806) KONAMI
SAND LAND older $59.99 1,018 86% 31k $1.8M (exactly $1,832,095) ILCA, Inc.
Vietnam War · EA $14.99 1,704 84% 51k $766k (exactly $766,289) Thorium Game Lab
METAL GEAR SOLID: Peace Walker - Master Collection Version $19.99 925 79% 28k $555k (exactly $554,722) KONAMI
METAL MAX Xeno Reborn older $39.99 444 65% 13k $533k (exactly $532,667) 24Frame,inc.
Tankenstein · EA $17.99 238 89% 7.1k $128k (exactly $128,449) Landship Games LTD
METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 $49.99 49 65% 1.5k $73k (exactly $73,485) KONAMI
D-Day VR Museum $14.99 16 100% 480 $7.2k (exactly $7,195) Lichtblau IT
Oath of Steel $18.99 4 0% 120 $2.3k (exactly $2,279) Ling Jun
The Ape Tales: An Epic Adventure Game $5.99 4 100% 120 $719 (exactly $719) Roker Games Studio
Nyassembled! · EA $8.99 2 100% 60 $539 (exactly $539) K. N. Factory

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