Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Management FPS?

FPS + Management

Of 73 developers who shipped a Management 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.. 167 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.5k, ×2.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $2.3M, ×1584 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 167 games are announced against 44 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 167 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 73
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $12k → $1.0k → $3.3k → $9.5k → $20k → $5.3k → $1.0k (still earning) → $5.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 73
Bottom 30% $1.0k (exactly $1,040)
Median $3.5k (exactly $3,471)
Top 25% $32k (exactly $32,364)
Top 5% $2.4M (exactly $2,372,800)
Developers, 2 yr 73
Released games 169
Announced 167
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 70% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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
Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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, Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Immersive Sim, Life Sim
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 96% positive over 319,284 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.1k, median $3.5k, 1 in 4 over $32k, 1 in 20 over $2.3M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 6 in 10 of the 40 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 167 games are announced against 44 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Schedule I · EA $19.99 288,939 97% 8.7M $173M (exactly $173,276,718) TVGS
Slime Rancher older $19.99 139,509 98% 4.2M $84M (exactly $83,663,547) Monomi Park
Contraband Police older $29.99 24,882 95% 746k $22M (exactly $22,386,335) Crazy Rocks
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries older $29.99 13,347 84% 400k $12M (exactly $12,008,296) Piranha Games Inc.
Car Dealer Simulator $19.99 9,831 88% 295k $5.9M (exactly $5,895,651) Garage Monkeys
Kebab Chefs! - Restaurant Simulator $17.99 7,019 83% 211k $3.8M (exactly $3,788,154) Biotech Gameworks
SuchArt: Genius Artist Simulator older $24.99 3,769 97% 113k $2.8M (exactly $2,825,619) Goose Minded
Gunsmith Simulator $24.99 3,165 84% 95k $2.4M (exactly $2,372,800) GameHunters
Weed Shop 3 older $19.99 3,956 93% 119k $2.4M (exactly $2,372,413) Weed Games
Car Service Together · EA $19.99 3,589 79% 108k $2.2M (exactly $2,152,323) V12 Studio
The Walking Trade $11.99 2,733 86% 82k $983k (exactly $983,060) Microwave Games
Football Life Simulator · EA $19.99 1,567 68% 47k $940k (exactly $939,730) Ludu Arts
Tank Squad $19.99 847 70% 25k $508k (exactly $507,946) DeGenerals S.A.
Zombie Graveyard Simulator $14.99 805 89% 24k $362k (exactly $362,008) threeW
Storage Dealer Simulator $13.99 789 61% 24k $331k (exactly $331,143) Quadfix Games

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