Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance FPS?

FPS + Romance

Of 28 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 28 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $19k, ×13 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $5.9k; 1 in 20 cleared $930k, ×627 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 28 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 12.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 28 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $49k → $600k → $32k → $82k → $19k → $5.8k → $101k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $5.9k (exactly $5,872)
Median $19k (exactly $19,337)
Top 25% $187k (exactly $186,601)
Top 5% $940k (exactly $939,730)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 137
Announced 28
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 65% on the market, supply 55% fewer 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
Romance
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
FPS; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Dating Sim, Visual Novel
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Emotional, Anime, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 8,512 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $5.9k, median $19k, 1 in 4 over $180k, 1 in 20 over $930k.

3 in 10 developers made under $5.9k. 6 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 28 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

FPS with a different setting or mood, 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
魔女的夜宴 older $34.99 9,664 98% 290k $10M (exactly $10,144,301) YUZUSOFT
Riddle Joker older $34.99 5,715 97% 171k $6.0M (exactly $5,999,036) YUZUSOFT
Café Stella and the Reaper's Butterflies older $34.99 5,450 97% 164k $5.7M (exactly $5,720,865) YUZUSOFT
Aokana - Four Rhythms Across the Blue older $34.99 5,080 97% 152k $5.3M (exactly $5,332,476) sprite, NekoNyan Ltd.
Seed of the Dead: Sweet Home older $29.99 3,006 83% 90k $2.7M (exactly $2,704,498) TeamKRAMA
Lay a Beauty to Rest: The Darkness Peach Blossom Spring older $13.99 6,310 95% 189k $2.6M (exactly $2,648,307) 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame)
Gal*Gun 2 older $29.99 2,094 83% 63k $1.9M (exactly $1,883,972) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
CUSTOM ORDER MAID 3D2 It's a Night Magic older $40.00 1,438 82% 43k $1.7M (exactly $1,725,600) KISS
Gal*Gun: Double Peace older $29.99 1,829 86% 55k $1.6M (exactly $1,645,551) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
Tricolour Lovestory older $1.99 26,165 81% 785k $1.6M (exactly $1,562,050) HL-Galgame
Hello Love: 18 Again $19.99 2,075 92% 62k $1.2M (exactly $1,244,378) 念念而忘(Echofall Studio)
Football Life Simulator · EA $19.99 1,567 68% 47k $940k (exactly $939,730) Ludu Arts
Sickly Days and Summer Traces $19.99 1,500 93% 45k $900k (exactly $899,550) Sister Position
DRACU-RIOT! $34.99 722 98% 22k $758k (exactly $757,883) YUZUSOFT
Island Notes $12.99 884 82% 27k $344k (exactly $344,495) KangBaoGame
Select Oblige $29.99 375 76% 11k $337k (exactly $337,388) Madosoft
Rock Star Life Simulator $12.49 498 85% 15k $187k (exactly $186,601) HOGO Games
每日亲亲洛丽塔 $8.99 375 74% 11k $101k (exactly $101,138) 夜羊社
Find the Demon 恶魔鉴定守则 $7.99 346 89% 10k $83k (exactly $82,936) SHAKINO_UNION
The Fox's Way Home $15.99 170 87% 5.1k $82k (exactly $81,549) BeXide Inc.

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