Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Real Time Tactics

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Real Time Tactics FPS?

FPS + Real Time Tactics

Of 32 developers who shipped a Real Time Tactics 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.. 85 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $480 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 19 developers shipped in the last year and 85 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 85 announced, ×4.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Real Time Tactics
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 32
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $539 → $570 → $450 → $418 → $980 → $179 → $1.3k (still earning) → $269 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Real Time Tactics: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 32
Bottom 30% $75 (exactly $75)
Median $480 (exactly $480)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,997)
Top 5% $1.8M (exactly $1,824,433)
Developers, 2 yr 32
Released games 138
Announced 85
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 20% 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
Real Time Tactics
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 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, Real Time Tactics; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Strategy
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 21,591 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $75, median $480, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $1.8M.

3 in 10 developers made under $75. 7 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 85 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 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
Arma Reforger older $39.99 51,613 80% 1.5M $62M (exactly $61,920,116) Bohemia Interactive
OPERATOR · EA older $19.99 8,605 86% 258k $5.2M (exactly $5,160,418) VECTOR INTERACTIVE PTY LTD
LOCKDOWN Protocol $9.99 16,605 86% 498k $5.0M (exactly $4,976,518) Mirage Creative Lab
Total Conflict: Resistance · EA older $29.99 5,089 74% 153k $4.6M (exactly $4,578,573) Thunder Devs.
Rising Front $14.99 4,057 88% 122k $1.8M (exactly $1,824,433) Sandstorm Studios Inc.
Executive Assault 2 older $24.99 1,604 82% 48k $1.2M (exactly $1,202,519) Hesketh Studios Ltd
Black One Blood Brothers · EA older $17.99 1,366 78% 41k $737k (exactly $737,230) Helios Studio
Stars End older $19.99 1,129 63% 34k $677k (exactly $677,061) Reverie World Studios
Battle Cry of Freedom older $10.00 2,092 71% 63k $628k (exactly $627,600) Flying Squirrel Entertainment
Nuclear Dawn older $9.99 1,619 78% 49k $485k (exactly $485,214) GameConnect, InterWave Studios
SWAT Commander · EA $19.99 665 77% 20k $399k (exactly $398,800) Red Mountain Games, Ritual Interactive
Death row inmates on the run 2--The Resistance $6.99 86 55% 2.6k $18k (exactly $18,034) zzzgame
Operation Athena · EA $9.99 42 64% 1.3k $13k (exactly $12,587) MISSING GAME STUDIO, LTD., GRENARC LLC
Future Breach 64 $2.99 105 86% 3.2k $9.4k (exactly $9,418) Yurii Nikshych
Rage Of Towers $14.99 9 77% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) Tiger Among Shadows
Hold The Line · EA $9.99 10 90% 300 $3.0k (exactly $2,997) The Big Studio
QIMEN Tower Defense $9.99 7 100% 210 $2.1k (exactly $2,098) Tianjin Wuhua Network Technology Co., L… (Tianjin Wuhua Network Technology Co., Ltd.)
Industrial Legion · EA $8.99 5 100% 150 $1.3k (exactly $1,348) Utilitarium Interactive Development

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