Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op FPS?

FPS + Local Co-Op

Of 22 developers who shipped a Local Co-Op FPS 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.. 35 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×0.9 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $640k, ×432 the market median. Revenue is up 135% on the market; 35 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 135% on the market, 35 announced, ×3.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $90 → $119 → $1.3k → $36k → $24k (still earning) → $120 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,346)
Top 25% $36k (exactly $35,986)
Top 5% $647k (exactly $646,884)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 93
Announced 35
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.99

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 135% on the market, supply as many developers as 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

FPS
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Local Co-Op
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
FPS, Local Co-Op; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Shooter, Action, Local Multiplayer
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 77% positive over 4,162 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $35k, 1 in 20 over $640k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 35 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + LGBTQ+Fair28 devs · median $32k · 22 announced
  2. + Dating SimFair47 devs · median $19k · 36 announced
  3. + IdlerFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  4. + GamblingFair24 devs · median $4.1k · 22 announced
  5. + FaithFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 12 announced
  6. + Precision PlatformerFair37 devs · median $1.6k · 38 announced
  7. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $1.4k · 12 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair172 devs · median $1.2k · 190 announced
  9. + RunnerLong shot39 devs · median $958 · 43 announced
  10. + Action RTSLong shot16 devs · median $899 · 21 announced
  11. + Bullet HellLong shot130 devs · median $629 · 145 announced
  12. + DogsLong shot6 devs · median $594 · 7 announced

All 216 pairs on the FPS page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Left 4 Dead 2 2009 · $245M Serious Sam 3: BFE 2011 · $20M Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2022 · $16M Contagion 2013 · $3.0M HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed 2020 · $2.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Left 4 Dead 2 older $9.99 816,316 97% 24M $245M (exactly $244,649,905) Valve
Serious Sam 3: BFE older $29.99 21,834 87% 655k $20M (exactly $19,644,050) Croteam
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands older $29.99 17,779 70% 533k $16M (exactly $15,995,766) Gearbox Software
Contagion older $9.99 10,042 75% 301k $3.0M (exactly $3,009,587) Monochrome, Inc
HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed older $24.99 3,798 90% 114k $2.8M (exactly $2,847,361) Digital Cybercherries
Painkiller Hell & Damnation older $19.99 2,935 78% 88k $1.8M (exactly $1,760,119) The Farm 51
Polarity older $12.99 3,678 78% 110k $1.4M (exactly $1,433,317) Bluebutton Games
Onirism $17.99 1,337 82% 40k $722k (exactly $721,579) Crimson Tales
Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball older $9.99 2,258 91% 68k $677k (exactly $676,723) Erik Asmussen
Blood: Refreshed Supply™ $29.99 719 71% 22k $647k (exactly $646,884) Nightdive Studios, Monolith Productions
Rogue Point $19.99 940 63% 28k $564k (exactly $563,718) Crowbar Collective
Together: Moon Escape $9.99 868 90% 26k $260k (exactly $260,140) CarlosGameDev
Containment Initiative 2 $14.99 89 85% 2.7k $40k (exactly $40,023) Gwyn Games LLC
Operation Night Strikers $24.99 48 77% 1.4k $36k (exactly $35,986) M2 Co., Ltd.
Wizzerd Quest 2 $14.99 54 74% 1.6k $24k (exactly $24,284) Kondoorsoft
Jumpscare Simulator: System Breach $4.99 88 90% 2.6k $13k (exactly $13,174) Durultay Games
taCam · EA $5.99 15 60% 450 $2.7k (exactly $2,696) DIG Games
Heist Haven · EA $12.99 4 0% 120 $1.6k (exactly $1,559) Somehow Games

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