Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + Shoot 'Em Up

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Shoot 'Em Up FPS?

FPS + Shoot 'Em Up

Of 137 developers who shipped a Shoot 'Em Up 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.. 204 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 72 developers shipped in the last year and 204 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 30% on the market, 204 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Shoot 'Em Up
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 137
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $748 → $1.6k → $599 → $450 → $298 → $359 → $180 (still earning) → $270 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Shoot 'Em Up: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 137
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $300 (exactly $300)
Top 25% $3.2k (exactly $3,237)
Top 5% $311k (exactly $310,645)
Developers, 2 yr 137
Released games 558
Announced 204
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 30% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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
Shoot 'Em Up
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 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, Shoot 'Em Up; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Boomer Shooter
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Colorful
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 72% positive over 24,425 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $300, 1 in 4 over $3.2k, 1 in 20 over $310k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 80 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 204 games are announced against 72 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 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

PAYDAY 3 2023 · $44M Subverse 2024 · $17M Crysis 2 Remastered 2022 · $8.1M Crysis 3 Remastered 2022 · $7.0M POSTAL 4: No Regerts 2022 · $6.5M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
PAYDAY 3 older $29.99 49,305 45% 1.5M $44M (exactly $44,359,708) Starbreeze Studios
Subverse $39.99 13,781 66% 413k $17M (exactly $16,533,066) Studio FOW Interactive
Crysis 2 Remastered older $29.99 9,034 89% 271k $8.1M (exactly $8,127,890) Crytek, Saber Interactive
Crysis 3 Remastered older $29.99 7,731 88% 232k $7.0M (exactly $6,955,581) Crytek, Saber Interactive
POSTAL 4: No Regerts older $19.99 10,855 67% 326k $6.5M (exactly $6,509,743) Running With Scissors
POSTAL: Brain Damaged older $19.99 9,565 95% 287k $5.7M (exactly $5,736,130) Hyperstrange, CreativeForge Games
Metro Awakening $29.99 3,013 73% 90k $2.7M (exactly $2,710,796) Vertigo Games
Raw Data older $39.99 2,036 81% 61k $2.4M (exactly $2,442,589) Survios
Project Warlock older $12.00 4,691 87% 141k $1.7M (exactly $1,688,760) Buckshot Software
After the Fall® older $19.99 2,572 76% 77k $1.5M (exactly $1,542,428) Vertigo Games
Beyond Sandbox · EA $19.99 1,223 39% 37k $733k (exactly $733,433) Atlas XR
Bloodshed $12.99 1,824 84% 55k $711k (exactly $710,813) com8com1 Software
CRUEL $9.99 1,814 95% 54k $544k (exactly $543,656) James Dornan
ODDCORE · EA $12.99 1,080 96% 32k $421k (exactly $420,876) ODDCORP
Don't Stop, Girlypop! $19.99 518 83% 16k $311k (exactly $310,645) Funny Fintan Softworks
Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster $29.99 230 93% 6.9k $207k (exactly $206,931) LucasArts, Nightdive Studios
Ultimate Zombie Defense 2 $9.99 589 76% 18k $177k (exactly $176,523) Terror Dog Studio
Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion $9.99 353 93% 11k $106k (exactly $105,794) Bubby Darkstar

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