Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + RTS

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an RTS FPS?

FPS + RTS

Only 15 developers shipped an RTS 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, 7 Days Blood Moons, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 41 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $980, ×0.7 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150. 41 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper, while revenue is up 2270% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 2270% on the market, 41 announced, ×5.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + RTS
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $18k → $479 → $178k → $60 → $599 → $1.0k
Outcomes for FPS + RTS: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $980 (exactly $980)
Top 25% $7.9k (exactly $7,913)
Top 5% $125k (exactly $125,275)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 87
Announced 41
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 2270% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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
RTS
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
FPS, RTS; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action RTS, Shooter
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Third Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 55% positive over 668 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $980, 1 in 4 over $7.9k, 1 in 20 over $120k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 41 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 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

Outpost: Infinity Siege 2024 · $8.7M Freeman: Guerrilla Warfare 2019 · $8.6M Call to Arms 2018 · $7.8M Total Conflict: Resistance 2023 · EA · $4.6M Silica 2023 · EA · $2.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Outpost: Infinity Siege older $24.99 11,636 65% 349k $8.7M (exactly $8,723,509) Team Ranger
Freeman: Guerrilla Warfare older $24.99 11,489 64% 345k $8.6M (exactly $8,613,303) KK Game Studio
Call to Arms older $14.99 17,431 80% 523k $7.8M (exactly $7,838,721) Digitalmindsoft
Total Conflict: Resistance · EA older $29.99 5,089 74% 153k $4.6M (exactly $4,578,573) Thunder Devs.
Silica · EA older $19.99 4,468 77% 134k $2.7M (exactly $2,679,460) Martin 'Dram' Melichárek
Natural Selection 2 older $4.99 8,633 85% 259k $1.3M (exactly $1,292,360) Unknown Worlds Entertainment
Command & Conquer™ Generals Zero Hour older $6.96 6,131 91% 184k $1.3M (exactly $1,280,153) EA Pacific
Executive Assault 2 older $24.99 1,604 82% 48k $1.2M (exactly $1,202,519) Hesketh Studios Ltd
Carrier Command: Gaea Mission older $32.99 805 51% 24k $797k (exactly $796,708) Bohemia Interactive
Battlezone 98 Redux older $19.99 1,044 91% 31k $626k (exactly $626,087) Big Boat Interactive
7 Days Blood Moons · EA $9.99 418 40% 13k $125k (exactly $125,275) iLLOGIKA
Artificial Extinction 2 $19.99 113 77% 3.4k $68k (exactly $67,766) 100Hr Games Inc
WARSHIFT 2 $19.99 54 70% 1.6k $32k (exactly $32,384) Cyril Megem
Bad Pixels · EA $11.99 22 95% 660 $7.9k (exactly $7,913) Dadako
Rage Of Towers $14.99 9 77% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) Tiger Among Shadows
Industrial Legion · EA $8.99 5 100% 150 $1.3k (exactly $1,348) Utilitarium Interactive Development
Kings of Cratia $4.99 7 100% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) eniscoskun
The Memological Dungeon $0.99 33 90% 990 $980 (exactly $980) Gamesforfarm
Platoon $9.99 3 33% 90 $899 (exactly $899) Phalanx Tactical
War in the Gulf $4.99 4 75% 120 $599 (exactly $599) Oxford Digital Enterprises

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