Should I ship a Faith RPG?
RPG + Faith
Of 59 developers who shipped a Faith RPG 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.. 88 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $640k, ×1031 the market median. Revenue is up 430% on the market; 88 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) |
| Top 25% | $19k (exactly $19,480) |
| Top 5% | $648k (exactly $647,652) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 59 |
| Released games | 174 |
| Announced | 88 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 430% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- RPG; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Combat
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Anime, Story Rich, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 11,046 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 31 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 88 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
RPG with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + IdlerFair
- + Boss RushFair
- + SportsFair
- + Combat RacingFair
- + Split ScreenFair
- + Precision PlatformerFair
- + SamuraiPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
- + MinigamesPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Touhou Luna Nights | older | $17.99 | 13,776 97% | 413k | $7.4M (exactly $7,434,907) | Team Ladybug, WSS playground |
| | Touhou Mystia's Izakaya | older | $5.99 | 29,517 98% | 886k | $5.3M (exactly $5,304,205) | 二色幽紫蝶, Re零同人社 |
| | FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE | $49.99 | 2,663 87% | 80k | $4.0M (exactly $3,993,701) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
| | Touhou: Lost Branch of Legend | · EA older | $29.99 | 2,036 92% | 61k | $1.8M (exactly $1,831,789) | Alioth Studio |
| | Touhou Genso Wanderer -Reloaded- | older | $34.99 | 1,734 93% | 52k | $1.8M (exactly $1,820,180) | AQUASTYLE |
| | 永远消失的幻想乡 ~ The Disappearing of Gensokyo | older | $10.99 | 3,023 83% | 91k | $997k (exactly $996,683) | MyACG Studio |
| | 33 Immortals | $14.89 | 2,130 72% | 64k | $951k (exactly $951,471) | Thunder Lotus | |
| | Leap of Faith | older | $10.99 | 2,308 96% | 69k | $761k (exactly $760,948) | DriftyGames |
| | Touhou Dystopian | $9.99 | 2,161 97% | 65k | $648k (exactly $647,652) | Kay Lnk | |
| | Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - | $34.99 | 582 98% | 17k | $611k (exactly $610,925) | さんぼん堂 | |
| | Crimson Oath | $14.99 | 750 82% | 23k | $337k (exactly $337,275) | Parry Frames Team | |
| | 绯红编年史 ~ Chronicle of Scarlet ~ | $12.99 | 697 88% | 21k | $272k (exactly $271,621) | Charge Piggy Studio | |
| | Halluci-Sabbat of Koishi | $7.99 | 701 91% | 21k | $168k (exactly $168,030) | ZRIGN 地霊研究院 | |
| | Touhou Blooming Soul | · EA | $5.99 | 911 96% | 27k | $164k (exactly $163,707) | 二色幽紫蝶 |
| | Marisa of Liartop Mountain | $14.99 | 286 84% | 8.6k | $129k (exactly $128,614) | Alliance Arts, UnknownX | |
| | Sisters in Sin 🔞 | $14.99 | 165 75% | 5.0k | $74k (exactly $74,200) | Lewd Star |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.