Games › Hero Shooter › Hero Shooter + Tower Defense
Should I ship a Tower Defense Hero Shooter?
Hero Shooter + Tower Defense
Only 16 developers shipped a Tower Defense Hero Shooter 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, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 9 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $720, ×0.5 the market's $1.3k for a 9 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50. Revenue is down 90% on the market, with 18 games announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $716 (exactly $716) |
| Top 25% | $5.8k (exactly $5,750) |
| Top 5% | $3.6M (exactly $3,646,484) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 57 |
| Announced | 18 |
| Effort | 9 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 90% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Hero Shooter
- effort 9 / 10 · low · competitive netcode plus hero balance and content cadence
- Tower Defense
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 9 / 10 · studio only
- Systems
- Hero Shooter, Tower Defense; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, Co-op
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 71% positive over 4,501 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 7 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Hero Shooter with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SimulationLong shot
- + Bullet HellLong shot
- + Boomer ShooterLong shot
- + MedievalLong shot
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + SuperheroPoor odds
- + Battle RoyalePoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + PvPPoor odds
- + PlatformerPoor odds
- + Character CustomizationPoor odds
- + PhysicsPoor odds
Comparable games
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville™ 2020 · $14M 
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap 2025 · $3.6M 
Monday Night Combat 2011 · $137k 
KUNKUN Defender 2024 · $74k 
STARVAULT VR 2026 · $49k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville™ | older | $29.99 | 15,372 71% | 461k | $14M (exactly $13,830,188) | PopCap |
| | Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap | $29.99 | 4,053 69% | 122k | $3.6M (exactly $3,646,484) | Robot Entertainment | |
| | Monday Night Combat | older | $4.99 | 912 81% | 27k | $137k (exactly $136,526) | Uber Entertainment |
| | KUNKUN Defender | older | $2.99 | 822 97% | 25k | $74k (exactly $73,733) | Seal |
| | STARVAULT VR | $24.99 | 66 89% | 2.0k | $49k (exactly $49,480) | Theia Games | |
 | OTTTD | older | $7.99 | 190 78% | 5.7k | $46k (exactly $45,543) | SMG Studio |
 | KUNKUN Defender 2 | $4.99 | 294 94% | 8.8k | $44k (exactly $44,012) | Seal | |
 | Protect Harem City | older | $3.99 | 76 82% | 2.3k | $9.1k (exactly $9,097) | PinkySoul |
 | Devader | older | $7.99 | 32 93% | 960 | $7.7k (exactly $7,670) | Falkenbrew |
 | Inheritors2078 | older | $11.99 | 19 63% | 570 | $6.8k (exactly $6,834) | Elhaitham Ashmawy, Mohamed Eshmawy, Nou… (Elhaitham Ashmawy, Mohamed Eshmawy, Nour Ashmawy) |
 | Luna Hollow - Dream Eater Defense | $5.99 | 32 53% | 960 | $5.8k (exactly $5,750) | CHARON, STUDIO CHARON, 月桂樹冠 | |
 | Idle Zombie Wave: Premium | $7.99 | 21 38% | 630 | $5.0k (exactly $5,034) | Ryki Studio | |
 | Dead Z Meat | $9.99 | 6 50% | 180 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | ISTOM Games | |
 | Compadrone: Land Wars | $4.99 | 12 91% | 360 | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) | Seam Entertainment | |
 | Miracle Brave: Beast Defense Line | $1.99 | 12 41% | 360 | $716 (exactly $716) | 1029studio | |
 | Tower Defense: Goblin Wars | $0.99 | 4 25% | 120 | $119 (exactly $119) | Yusuf Islam Seyhan, Samet Acar | |
 | Earth’s Last Defense Idle Fleet | $2.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $90 (exactly $90) | Jimmy Wilson, Colton Wilson, Hunter Wil… (Jimmy Wilson, Colton Wilson, Hunter Wilson, Julie A Wilson, Baylee Wilson, Jolie Wilson, Julie Wilson) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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