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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.
| 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.
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
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
FPS with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Dating SimFair
- + IdlerFair
- + GamblingFair
- + FaithFair
- + Precision PlatformerFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + RunnerLong shot
- + Action RTSLong shot
- + Bullet HellLong shot
- + DogsLong shot
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.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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