Games › Immersive Sim › Immersive Sim + Grand Strategy
Should I ship a Grand Strategy Immersive Sim?
Immersive Sim + Grand Strategy
Of 53 developers who shipped a Grand Strategy Immersive Sim 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.. 63 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×0.7 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $3.9M, ×2663 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 63 games are announced against 36 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) |
| Top 25% | $17k (exactly $16,639) |
| Top 5% | $4.0M (exactly $3,989,204) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 53 |
| Released games | 153 |
| Announced | 63 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 60% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Immersive Sim
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Grand Strategy
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Immersive Sim, Grand Strategy; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Simulation, Economy
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Realistic, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 69% positive over 36,495 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 63 games are announced against 36 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Immersive Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Trading Card GameStrong odds
- + MinigamesStrong odds
- + WesternStrong odds
- + BoxingStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + Dating SimFair
- + RomanceFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Split ScreenFair
Comparable games
Europa Universalis V 2025 · $46M 
X4: Foundations 2018 · $38M 
ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV 2020 · $24M 
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII 2016 · $10M 
ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE 2024 · $5.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Europa Universalis V | $59.99 | 25,353 66% | 761k | $46M (exactly $45,627,794) | Paradox Tinto | |
| | X4: Foundations | older | $49.99 | 25,257 79% | 758k | $38M (exactly $37,877,923) | Egosoft |
| | ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV | older | $59.99 | 13,086 62% | 393k | $24M (exactly $23,550,874) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII | older | $59.99 | 5,828 57% | 175k | $10M (exactly $10,488,652) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| | ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE | $59.99 | 3,118 49% | 94k | $5.6M (exactly $5,611,465) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power Up Kit | older | $39.99 | 3,754 92% | 113k | $4.5M (exactly $4,503,674) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
 | NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Awakening | older | $59.99 | 2,320 74% | 70k | $4.2M (exactly $4,175,304) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
 | Heroes' Vow: Three Kingdoms | · EA | $19.99 | 6,652 88% | 200k | $4.0M (exactly $3,989,204) | Free Wing |
 | Solium Infernum | older | $39.99 | 1,571 88% | 47k | $1.9M (exactly $1,884,729) | League of Geeks |
 | NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence - Ascension | older | $59.99 | 814 73% | 24k | $1.5M (exactly $1,464,956) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
 | Horse Racing Manager | · EA | $24.99 | 208 88% | 6.2k | $156k (exactly $155,938) | Sheep Meadow Road Games |
 | Monarch : Medieval Remastered | $11.99 | 365 80% | 11k | $131k (exactly $131,290) | Mr.Lordy | |
 | Axis Football 2026 | $19.99 | 115 75% | 3.5k | $69k (exactly $68,966) | Axis Games | |
 | 吾皇万岁 | $4.99 | 422 68% | 13k | $63k (exactly $63,173) | AI GAME STUDIO | |
 | Global Protocol: New World Order | · EA | $19.99 | 85 71% | 2.6k | $51k (exactly $50,974) | Dorlion Interactive |
 | Tennis Manager 25 | $19.99 | 76 68% | 2.3k | $46k (exactly $45,577) | Rebound | |
 | Sanguo's Ambition 4 :Three Kingdoms | $9.99 | 101 68% | 3.0k | $30k (exactly $30,270) | Youshen Interactive |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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