Do I ship it?

GamesMiningMining + Futuristic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Futuristic Mining game?

Mining + Futuristic

Of 37 developers who shipped a Futuristic Mining game 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.. 69 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×351 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 69 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 69 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Mining + Futuristic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 37
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.8k → $5.8k → $479 → $2.1k → $2.7k → $10k (still earning) → $420 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Mining + Futuristic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 37
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $1.7k (exactly $1,678)
Top 25% $10k (exactly $10,132)
Top 5% $167k (exactly $166,582)
Developers, 2 yr 37
Released games 76
Announced 69
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 45% on the market, supply 115% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Mining
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Futuristic
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Mining; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Resource Management, Simulation, Strategy
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 3,123 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $1.7k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $160k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Mining with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FarmingStrong odds18 devs · median $22k · 15 announced
  2. + TradingFair32 devs · median $12k · 33 announced
  3. + DwarvesFair17 devs · median $9.6k · 26 announced
  4. + Tower DefenseFair33 devs · median $6.3k · 45 announced
  5. + EconomyFair116 devs · median $5.0k · 173 announced
  6. + AutomationFair105 devs · median $4.9k · 164 announced
  7. + Turn-Based StrategyFair10 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair141 devs · median $3.9k · 207 announced
  9. + NatureFair42 devs · median $2.4k · 49 announced
  10. + IdlerFair136 devs · median $2.3k · 185 announced
  11. + ArcadeFair91 devs · median $2.2k · 125 announced
  12. + CollectathonFair63 devs · median $2.1k · 53 announced

All 91 pairs on the Mining page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Interstellar Rift older $19.99 1,411 66% 42k $846k (exactly $846,177) Split Polygon
Solar Expanse - Space Exploration Manager · EA $17.99 1,252 87% 38k $676k (exactly $675,704) SpaceOps
Mercury Fallen older $24.99 255 80% 7.7k $191k (exactly $191,174) Nitrous Butterfly
Eventide Matter $5.99 927 95% 28k $167k (exactly $166,582) Ottropi Games
MegaFactory Titan $19.99 150 76% 4.5k $90k (exactly $89,955) Q Switched Productions, LLC
The Black Ice · EA $14.99 147 77% 4.4k $66k (exactly $66,106) RED CRAB GAMES, Antelus Games
Chipmatic $11.99 158 65% 4.7k $57k (exactly $56,833) Molter
Utopia Colony $16.99 99 63% 3.0k $50k (exactly $50,460) GridSky Studios
Mashina $9.99 141 97% 4.2k $42k (exactly $42,258) Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Tal… (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)
ASTRO AQUA KITTY older $14.99 79 87% 2.4k $36k (exactly $35,526) TIKIPOD
Deep Space Exploitation $8.99 131 96% 3.9k $35k (exactly $35,331) JuhrJuhr
Sporbs $4.99 92 78% 2.8k $14k (exactly $13,772) Who Nose Studios
Into the Slimy Mines $12.99 26 100% 780 $10k (exactly $10,132) Ant Workshop Ltd

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