Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Resource Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Resource Management FPS?

FPS + Resource Management

Of 66 developers who shipped a Resource 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.. 169 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×1.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×102 the market median. Revenue is up 180% on the market; 169 games are announced against 38 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 180% on the market, 169 announced, ×4.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Resource Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 66
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $14k → $1.8k → $6.1k → $418 → $3.3k → $1.0k → $6.9k (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Resource Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 66
Bottom 30% $716 (exactly $716)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Top 25% $8.6k (exactly $8,626)
Top 5% $153k (exactly $153,152)
Developers, 2 yr 66
Released games 157
Announced 169
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 up 180% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Resource Management
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, Resource Management; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Action, Adventure
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 3,340 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 36 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 169 games are announced against 38 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 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
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries older $29.99 13,347 84% 400k $12M (exactly $12,008,296) Piranha Games Inc.
Outpost: Infinity Siege older $24.99 11,636 65% 349k $8.7M (exactly $8,723,509) Team Ranger
Amnesia: The Bunker older $24.99 10,349 93% 310k $7.8M (exactly $7,758,645) Frictional Games
Gloomwood · EA older $19.99 7,495 95% 225k $4.5M (exactly $4,494,752) Dillon Rogers, David Szymanski, Nate Be… (Dillon Rogers, David Szymanski, Nate Berens, Thomas Porta)
My Friendly Neighborhood older $29.99 2,485 96% 75k $2.2M (exactly $2,235,754) John Szymanski, Evan Szymanski
Meet Your Maker older $19.99 3,013 73% 90k $1.8M (exactly $1,806,896) Behaviour Interactive Inc.
Car Dealership Simulator older $9.99 1,785 72% 54k $535k (exactly $534,964) Quadfix Games
Nucleares older $14.99 1,121 84% 34k $504k (exactly $504,114) Iván Marcelo Pretti
USAC: Code Breach older $14.99 1,067 91% 32k $480k (exactly $479,830) Questions Factory
Zombie Graveyard Simulator $14.99 805 89% 24k $362k (exactly $362,008) threeW
Iron Blight $12.49 700 93% 21k $262k (exactly $262,290) Ronesans Interactive
Cinema Simulator 2025 · EA $11.99 573 76% 17k $206k (exactly $206,108) HOGO Games
Comatose · EA $12.99 393 96% 12k $153k (exactly $153,152) Lucky Dart
Away From Life · EA $12.99 213 66% 6.4k $83k (exactly $83,006) Cursor Games
Vending Machine Business Simulator $8.99 193 74% 5.8k $52k (exactly $52,052) Crow Interactive
Necrosis: Dawn of Dread $9.99 133 85% 4.0k $40k (exactly $39,860) Mike Schroder, Swole Software
Crazy Islands $13.99 73 68% 2.2k $31k (exactly $30,638) Ge-Aivan
Zombie Diner Simulator 🥩 💀 $14.99 67 71% 2.0k $30k (exactly $30,130) Octo Games studio
Subterranauts $4.99 190 76% 5.7k $28k (exactly $28,443) Red Basket Games

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