Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + Tower Defense

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Tower Defense FPS?

FPS + Tower Defense

Of 45 developers who shipped a Tower Defense 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.. 79 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120. 79 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper, while revenue is up 840% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 840% on the market, 79 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Tower Defense
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 45
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $539 → $1.3k → $628 → $450 → $300 → $1.8k → $599 (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Tower Defense: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 45
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $449 (exactly $449)
Top 25% $3.1k (exactly $3,146)
Top 5% $68k (exactly $67,766)
Developers, 2 yr 45
Released games 156
Announced 79
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 840% on the market, supply 15% 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
Tower Defense
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, Tower Defense; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Strategy
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Third Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 65% positive over 1,089 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $450, 1 in 4 over $3.1k, 1 in 20 over $67k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. Nearly all of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 79 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 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

7 Days to Die 2024 · $369M Outpost: Infinity Siege 2024 · $8.7M Sanctum 2 2013 · $3.4M HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed 2020 · $2.8M Sanctum 2011 · $594k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
7 Days to Die older $44.99 273,589 87% 8.2M $369M (exactly $369,263,073) The Fun Pimps
Outpost: Infinity Siege older $24.99 11,636 65% 349k $8.7M (exactly $8,723,509) Team Ranger
Sanctum 2 older $14.99 7,456 92% 224k $3.4M (exactly $3,352,963) Coffee Stain Studios
HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed older $24.99 3,798 90% 114k $2.8M (exactly $2,847,361) Digital Cybercherries
Sanctum older $9.99 1,982 90% 59k $594k (exactly $594,005) Coffee Stain Studios
SENTRY · EA older $19.99 845 81% 25k $507k (exactly $506,746) Fireblade Software
Home Wars older $9.99 1,141 78% 34k $342k (exactly $341,958) Insane Dreamers
Beach Invasion 1944 older $9.99 1,038 84% 31k $311k (exactly $311,089) AIx2 Games
Time Warpers older $19.99 493 82% 15k $296k (exactly $295,652) Proton Studio Inc
IS Defense older $5.99 1,465 91% 44k $263k (exactly $263,260) Destructive Creations
Block Fortress 2 $19.99 264 81% 7.9k $158k (exactly $158,321) Foursaken Media
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
STARVAULT VR $24.99 66 89% 2.0k $49k (exactly $49,480) Theia Games
WARSHIFT 2 $19.99 54 70% 1.6k $32k (exactly $32,384) Cyril Megem
Beach Invasion 1915-Gallipoli $7.99 73 71% 2.2k $17k (exactly $17,498) AIx2 Games
DOLLMAKER $8.99 45 97% 1.4k $12k (exactly $12,136) STH
AI.VI $13.99 25 100% 750 $10k (exactly $10,492) Out of Time
BeachHead Gold Edition $6.99 22 50% 660 $4.6k (exactly $4,613) Digital Fusion Inc.
Rage Of Towers $14.99 9 77% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) Tiger Among Shadows

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