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Should I ship a Level Editor Grand Strategy?
Grand Strategy + Level Editor
Only 12 developers shipped a Level Editor Grand Strategy 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, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 19 more are announced, ×6.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.
Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $120k against a market of $1.5k. 19 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $6.1k (exactly $6,138) |
|---|---|
| Median | $124k (exactly $123,737) |
| Top 25% | $513k (exactly $512,743) |
| Top 5% | $11M (exactly $11,053,714) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 27 |
| Announced | 19 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $11.99 |
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 75% on the market, supply 65% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Grand Strategy
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Level Editor
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Grand Strategy, Level Editor
- Price point
- $11.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 32,411 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $6.2k. 5 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 19 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×6.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Grand Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RoguelikeFair
- + SportsFair
- + RogueliteFair
- + CrimeFair
- + RacingFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceLong shot
- + TabletopLong shot
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + SandboxPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
Comparable games
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition 2025 · $11M 
Age of History 3 2024 · $5.4M 
Creeper World 4 2020 · $3.4M 
Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath 2009 · $1.1M 
Fantasy Map Simulator 2024 · EA · $1.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition | $29.99 | 12,286 85% | 369k | $11M (exactly $11,053,714) | Relic Entertainment | |
| | Age of History 3 | $9.99 | 18,102 85% | 543k | $5.4M (exactly $5,425,169) | Łukasz Jakowski | |
| | Creeper World 4 | older | $24.99 | 4,553 94% | 137k | $3.4M (exactly $3,413,384) | Knuckle Cracker |
| | Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath | older | $6.96 | 5,499 93% | 165k | $1.1M (exactly $1,148,191) | EA Los Angeles |
| | Fantasy Map Simulator | · EA older | $7.99 | 4,190 89% | 126k | $1.0M (exactly $1,004,343) | The Stranger |
 | Creeper World IXE | $19.99 | 855 69% | 26k | $513k (exactly $512,743) | Knuckle Cracker | |
 | Buggos | older | $9.99 | 1,204 88% | 36k | $361k (exactly $360,839) | Intrepid Marmot |
 | Warnament | $12.99 | 479 84% | 14k | $187k (exactly $186,666) | Luden.io | |
 | Armored Brigade II | $39.99 | 147 87% | 4.4k | $176k (exactly $176,356) | Veitikka Studios | |
 | Kingdom, Dungeon, and Hero | older | $29.99 | 168 76% | 5.0k | $151k (exactly $151,150) | Kraken Studios |
 | States of Power | $11.99 | 344 88% | 10k | $124k (exactly $123,737) | Sarunas | |
 | Tactical Annihilation | $15.99 | 56 98% | 1.7k | $27k (exactly $26,863) | B.G. Game Studio | |
 | Observe | · EA | $7.99 | 74 91% | 2.2k | $18k (exactly $17,738) | Kisotik Games |
 | Antiyoy | $4.99 | 41 85% | 1.2k | $6.1k (exactly $6,138) | yiotro | |
 | Cargo Shop Simulator | $3.99 | 27 70% | 810 | $3.2k (exactly $3,232) | Enginar Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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