Should I ship a Pirate FPS?
FPS + Pirates
Only 9 developers shipped a Pirate 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, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $17k, ×11 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $9.3M, ×6248 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 24 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $17k (exactly $16,776) |
| Top 25% | $210k (exactly $209,943) |
| Top 5% | $9.4M (exactly $9,360,004) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 38 |
| Announced | 24 |
| 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 95% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- FPS
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $12.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 361,354 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 24 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
FPS with a different setting or mood, 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
Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition 2020 · $386M 
Marauders 2022 · EA · $12M 
SAND: Raiders of Sophie 2026 · EA · $9.4M 
Blazing Sails 2023 · $3.8M 
Space Pirate Trainer 2017 · $1.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition | older | $39.99 | 322,072 88% | 9.7M | $386M (exactly $386,389,778) | Rare Ltd |
| | Marauders | · EA older | $29.99 | 13,505 68% | 405k | $12M (exactly $12,150,448) | Small Impact Games |
| | SAND: Raiders of Sophie | · EA | $24.99 | 12,485 49% | 375k | $9.4M (exactly $9,360,004) | Hologryph, TowerHaus |
| | Blazing Sails | older | $14.99 | 8,361 87% | 251k | $3.8M (exactly $3,759,942) | Get Up Games, Iceberg Interactive |
| | Space Pirate Trainer | older | $14.99 | 2,646 94% | 79k | $1.2M (exactly $1,189,906) | I-Illusions |
 | Captain Wayne - Vacation Desperation | $9.99 | 1,019 97% | 31k | $305k (exactly $305,394) | Ciaran Games LLC | |
 | DAVY x JONES | · EA | $17.99 | 389 82% | 12k | $210k (exactly $209,943) | PARASIGHT |
 | Buccaneers! | older | $17.99 | 386 82% | 12k | $208k (exactly $208,324) | Skyward Digital |
 | Out of Reach: Treasure Royale | older | $14.99 | 337 58% | 10k | $152k (exactly $151,549) | Space Boat Studios |
 | GUNHEAD | older | $19.99 | 154 68% | 4.6k | $92k (exactly $92,354) | Alientrap |
 | Vendetta Forever | $19.99 | 34 76% | 1.0k | $20k (exactly $20,390) | Meatspace Interactive | |
 | Pirate Hunter | $6.99 | 80 87% | 2.4k | $17k (exactly $16,776) | DIOsoft | |
 | Nightmariners | $4.49 | 5 80% | 150 | $674 (exactly $674) | Ocean's Call Studios | |
 | Lost Soul of the Missing Island | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | CDIS Lab. | |
 | ScareCrow Hunting VR | $2.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Pottery Bridge Studio | |
 | Pirate Platoon | $3.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Gamma Games LLC |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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