Do I ship it?

GamesTradingTrading + Fantasy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Fantasy Trading game?

Trading + Fantasy

Of 63 developers who shipped a Fantasy Trading 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.. 191 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $5.4k, ×11 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×610 the market median. Revenue is up 440% on the market; 191 games are announced against 38 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 11.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 440% on the market, 191 announced, ×5.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Trading + Fantasy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 63
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.0k → $6.0k → $628 → $8.2k → $2.4k → $10k → $4.7k (still earning) → $10k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Trading + Fantasy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 63
Bottom 30% $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Median $5.4k (exactly $5,389)
Top 25% $74k (exactly $73,751)
Top 5% $290k (exactly $289,703)
Developers, 2 yr 63
Released games 148
Announced 191
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 440% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 30%, 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.

Trading
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Fantasy
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Trading; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Economy, Simulation
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, 2D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 62% positive over 9,921 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.2k, median $5.4k, 1 in 4 over $73k, 1 in 20 over $280k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.2k. 7 in 10 of the 35 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 191 games are announced against 38 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + MiningFair32 devs · median $12k · 33 announced
  2. + Score AttackFair13 devs · median $600 · 13 announced
  3. + MMORPGPoor odds6 devs · median $206k · 42 announced
  4. + Character CustomizationPoor odds26 devs · median $60k · 137 announced
  5. + Online Co-OpPoor odds23 devs · median $47k · 84 announced
  6. + Co-opPoor odds24 devs · median $47k · 82 announced
  7. + FlightPoor odds6 devs · median $36k · 21 announced
  8. + SportsPoor odds11 devs · median $34k · 14 announced
  9. + CollectathonPoor odds28 devs · median $30k · 65 announced
  10. + PhysicsPoor odds23 devs · median $27k · 71 announced
  11. + DrivingPoor odds23 devs · median $24k · 48 announced
  12. + LootPoor odds23 devs · median $23k · 60 announced

All 109 pairs on the Trading page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
《蜀山:初章》买断版 older $24.99 5,772 74% 173k $4.3M (exactly $4,327,268) 重楼工作室
SpiritVale · EA $14.99 4,755 48% 143k $2.1M (exactly $2,138,324) Baikun Interactive
Hero of the Kingdom older $7.99 3,574 94% 107k $857k (exactly $856,688) Lonely Troops
Synergy $24.99 693 79% 21k $520k (exactly $519,542) Leikir Studio
Hero of the Kingdom II older $8.99 1,900 95% 57k $512k (exactly $512,430) Lonely Troops
SAELIG · EA older $14.99 1,124 86% 34k $505k (exactly $505,463) Atorcoppe Games
Potion Tycoon $19.99 629 71% 19k $377k (exactly $377,211) Snowhound Games
Hero of the Kingdom III older $9.99 1,234 78% 37k $370k (exactly $369,830) Lonely Troops
Shoppe Keep older $4.99 2,008 68% 60k $301k (exactly $300,598) Strange Fire
Stars Reach · EA $29.99 322 52% 9.7k $290k (exactly $289,703) Playable Worlds, Inc.
Concubine · EA $14.99 517 81% 16k $232k (exactly $232,495) Upgrade Entertainment
TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer $4.99 1,528 78% 46k $229k (exactly $228,742) AZAMATIKA
Lugh World · EA $14.99 458 68% 14k $206k (exactly $205,963) Lughsoft
Creator Chronicles $11.99 424 64% 13k $153k (exactly $152,513) Origin Studio
Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage · EA $14.99 315 93% 9.5k $142k (exactly $141,656) Unbossed Games
Arcane Merchant $14.99 280 84% 8.4k $126k (exactly $125,916) Findie Studios

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