Do I ship it?

GamesSurvivalSurvival + Hacking

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hacking Survival game?

Survival + Hacking

Only 10 developers shipped a Hacking Survival game 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, Deathground, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 33 more are announced, ×5.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.0 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $390k, ×628 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 33 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 33 announced, ×5.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Survival + Hacking
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Survival + Hacking: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,282)
Top 25% $51k (exactly $51,249)
Top 5% $394k (exactly $394,387)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 31
Announced 33
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 100% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Survival
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Hacking
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Survival
Price point
$5.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 68% positive over 1,609 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $51k, 1 in 20 over $390k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 6 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds14 devs · median $74k · 10 announced
  2. + Social DeductionFair31 devs · median $6.2k · 35 announced
  3. + Word GameFair22 devs · median $2.1k · 29 announced
  4. + CatsFair33 devs · median $1.2k · 34 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair77 devs · median $1.0k · 84 announced
  6. + IdlerFair96 devs · median $836 · 99 announced
  7. + Auto BattlerFair79 devs · median $807 · 90 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair101 devs · median $599 · 130 announced
  9. + DogsFair20 devs · median $535 · 19 announced
  10. + Martial ArtsLong shot19 devs · median $419 · 17 announced
  11. + Boomer ShooterLong shot39 devs · median $359 · 32 announced
  12. + DiplomacyPoor odds16 devs · median $100k · 28 announced

All 234 pairs on the Survival page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Duskers older $19.99 2,304 90% 69k $1.4M (exactly $1,381,709) Misfits Attic
Deathground · EA $14.99 877 61% 26k $394k (exactly $394,387) Jaw Drop Games
Scrutinized older $9.99 1,313 89% 39k $394k (exactly $393,506) Reflect Studios
Brigand: Oaxaca older $9.99 551 94% 17k $165k (exactly $165,135) Brian J. Lancaster, Laughing Coyote Sof… (Brian J. Lancaster, Laughing Coyote Software)
TARTARUS older $19.99 189 51% 5.7k $113k (exactly $113,343) Abyss Gameworks
Minutescape $5.99 546 74% 16k $98k (exactly $98,116) Molter
ATOMINE older $9.99 324 74% 9.7k $97k (exactly $97,103) Broken Arms Games
Decision Legacy Collection $9.99 171 83% 5.1k $51k (exactly $51,249) FlyAnvil
Deadnaut older $9.99 128 67% 3.8k $38k (exactly $38,362) Screwfly Studios
Lilith Odyssey older $19.99 59 76% 1.8k $35k (exactly $35,382) Chaystar Unlimited LLC
Chainsaw Snuff Shots VR $12.99 4 100% 120 $1.6k (exactly $1,559) The Only Way Out
137 · EA $21.37 2 100% 60 $1.3k (exactly $1,282) Ruby the Shark
Battle Bits $4.99 5 40% 150 $748 (exactly $748) NecoPlanet
UPLOAD $4.99 2 50% 60 $299 (exactly $299) Static Signal
Ronza $2.99 2 50% 60 $179 (exactly $179) Eyzira
Hackers: The Revolution Begins $2.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Fifth Battery, LLC.
Hacklash $1.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Staring Skull Studio

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