Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + Local Multiplayer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer FPS?

FPS + Local Multiplayer

Of 31 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer 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.. 53 more are announced, ×2.7 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 $120; 1 in 20 cleared $640k, ×432 the market median. Revenue is up 150% on the market; 53 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 150% on the market, 53 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Local Multiplayer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $899 → $8.1k → $384k → $239 → $12k → $2.4k → $24k (still earning) → $120 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Local Multiplayer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,346)
Top 25% $24k (exactly $24,284)
Top 5% $647k (exactly $646,884)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 141
Announced 53
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 150% on the market, supply 80% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 26%, 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 Multiplayer
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 Multiplayer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Shooter, Action, Boomer Shooter
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $21.64 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Violent
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $21.64 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 5,429 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $24k, 1 in 20 over $640k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 53 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 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

Serious Sam 3: BFE 2011 · $20M Contagion 2013 · $3.0M HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed 2020 · $2.8M Turok 2: Seeds of Evil 2017 · $1.4M Command & Conquer™ Generals Zero Hour 2024 · $1.3M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Serious Sam 3: BFE older $29.99 21,834 87% 655k $20M (exactly $19,644,050) Croteam
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
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil older $19.99 2,385 91% 72k $1.4M (exactly $1,430,284) Iguana Entertainment, Nightdive Studios
Command & Conquer™ Generals Zero Hour older $6.96 6,131 91% 184k $1.3M (exactly $1,280,153) EA Pacific
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
Agent 64: Spies Never Die $21.64 863 86% 26k $560k (exactly $560,260) Replicant D6
Together: Moon Escape $9.99 868 90% 26k $260k (exactly $260,140) CarlosGameDev
Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior (Classic) $9.99 439 74% 13k $132k (exactly $131,568) Kuju Entertainment
MeowGun: Hell Denizen $12.99 114 98% 3.4k $44k (exactly $44,426) SusaDeBastet
Wizzerd Quest 2 $14.99 54 74% 1.6k $24k (exactly $24,284) Kondoorsoft
Raise Your Tribe · EA $9.99 57 52% 1.7k $17k (exactly $17,083) Primeval Forest Studios
Road Food Simulator $12.99 38 57% 1.1k $15k (exactly $14,809) 2MEDYA

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