Games › Grand Strategy › Grand Strategy + Point & Click
Should I ship a Point & Click Grand Strategy?
Grand Strategy + Point & Click
Only 15 developers shipped a Point & Click 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, Носковраздор, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 16 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $239 (exactly $239) |
| Top 25% | $1.9k (exactly $1,915) |
| Top 5% | $4.0k (exactly $4,039) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 15 |
| Released games | 47 |
| Announced | 16 |
| 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 25% on the market, supply 120% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, 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
- Point & Click
- effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Grand Strategy, Point & Click; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Idler, Immersive Sim
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $4.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Relaxing
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $4.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 55% positive over 212 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
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
Jey's Empire 2019 · $31k 
12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus (Platinum Edition) 2016 · $20k 
DevLife 2020 · EA · $18k 
Gold Rush! Anniversary 2014 · $9.9k 
Gold Rush! Classic 2014 · $6.9k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Jey's Empire | older | $14.99 | 68 85% | 2.0k | $31k (exactly $30,580) | Maestro Cinetik |
| | 12 Labours of Hercules VI: Race for Olympus (Platinum Edition) | older | $2.99 | 221 87% | 6.6k | $20k (exactly $19,824) | Jetdogs Studios, Zoom Out Games |
| | DevLife | · EA older | $10.99 | 56 60% | 1.7k | $18k (exactly $18,463) | Roman Studio |
| | Gold Rush! Anniversary | older | $4.99 | 66 66% | 2.0k | $9.9k (exactly $9,880) | Sunlight Games |
| | Gold Rush! Classic | older | $2.99 | 77 87% | 2.3k | $6.9k (exactly $6,907) | The Software Farm, Sunlight Games, Sier… (The Software Farm, Sunlight Games, Sierra Entertainment) |
 | Носковраздор | $0.99 | 136 51% | 4.1k | $4.0k (exactly $4,039) | BMBK Games | |
 | 佣兵战歌 | older | $2.99 | 45 46% | 1.4k | $4.0k (exactly $4,037) | 酷呐网络科技 |
 | Gold Rush! 2 | older | $7.99 | 12 58% | 360 | $2.9k (exactly $2,876) | Sunlight Games |
 | Mystery Box 4: The Journey | older | $6.99 | 12 75% | 360 | $2.5k (exactly $2,516) | XSGames |
 | Maiz | older | $3.99 | 18 72% | 540 | $2.2k (exactly $2,155) | Critix Studios |
 | Gym Empire - Idle Gym Tycoon Management | $4.99 | 14 71% | 420 | $2.1k (exactly $2,096) | Chronik Spartan | |
 | Loot of Idle | $1.99 | 33 48% | 990 | $2.0k (exactly $1,970) | DarkRook Interactive | |
 | Guess the Flag! | $3.99 | 16 93% | 480 | $1.9k (exactly $1,915) | Source Byte | |
 | Odd Machines: Mechanical Boxes | $5.99 | 7 57% | 210 | $1.3k (exactly $1,258) | XSGames | |
 | Goblin Lands | $14.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $450 (exactly $450) | Hot Waffle Games | |
 | Balkan Bloodbath | $9.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Michael Richard Lannon | |
 | Coaster Clash 2k99 - Roller Coaster Defense | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | D4Y | |
 | The Da Vinci Cryptex 5 | $3.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $239 (exactly $239) | XSGames | |
 | The Collector’s Curio Cabinet Toy Soldiers | $6.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $210 (exactly $210) | hubel |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.