Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Metroidvania

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Metroidvania FPS?

FPS + Metroidvania

Only 17 developers shipped a Metroidvania FPS in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $6.3k, ×4.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.6M, ×1083 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 34 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 34 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Metroidvania
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.9k → $31k → $4.5k → $1.4k → $6.3k (still earning) → $25k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Metroidvania: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Median $6.3k (exactly $6,296)
Top 25% $28k (exactly $27,525)
Top 5% $1.6M (exactly $1,622,159)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 49
Announced 34
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $11.99

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 95% on the market, supply 140% more developers than 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
Metroidvania
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, Metroidvania; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Immersive Sim, Action-Adventure
Price point
$11.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 4,153 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.1k, median $6.3k, 1 in 4 over $27k, 1 in 20 over $1.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.1k. 3 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 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
Supraland older $19.99 12,376 95% 371k $7.4M (exactly $7,421,887) Supra Games
Supraland Six Inches Under older $19.99 3,975 96% 119k $2.4M (exactly $2,383,808) Supra Games
DEAD OR SCHOOL older $24.99 2,607 84% 78k $2.0M (exactly $1,954,468) Studio Nanafushi
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster $29.99 1,803 87% 54k $1.6M (exactly $1,622,159) Nightdive Studios, Looking Glass Studio… (Nightdive Studios, Looking Glass Studios, Irrational Games)
Supraworld · EA $29.99 1,471 91% 44k $1.3M (exactly $1,323,459) Supra Games
PowerSlave Exhumed older $19.99 754 90% 23k $452k (exactly $452,174) Nightdive Studios, Lobotomy Software
Frogmonster older $19.99 585 96% 18k $351k (exactly $350,824) Ben Jungwirth
Vomitoreum older $9.99 899 91% 27k $269k (exactly $269,430) Scumhead
BAIONLENJA · EA $12.99 510 97% 15k $199k (exactly $198,747) BAION
Voltage High Society $19.99 144 92% 4.3k $86k (exactly $86,357) Platonic Partnership
SENARA: The Sacrament $17.99 51 74% 1.5k $28k (exactly $27,525) Influsion Inc.
Quantum Void $11.99 69 95% 2.1k $25k (exactly $24,819) TacNours
Hellscreen $17.99 45 80% 1.4k $24k (exactly $24,286) Jamie D, Mixtape Games UK
Vampire Hunter: Nightrise $14.99 31 93% 930 $14k (exactly $13,941) Over The Moon
ALARIC $14.99 14 92% 420 $6.3k (exactly $6,296) Dominik Grigoras
Rusty's Day Off: Episode One - Janitor on Duty $9.99 15 80% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Onestone Software

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