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Should I ship a Historical Level Editor game?
Level Editor + Historical
Only 17 developers shipped a Historical Level Editor 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, Diplomacy is Not an Option, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 22 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $18k, ×28 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $6.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $9.8M, ×15622 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 22 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $6.1k (exactly $6,138) |
|---|---|
| Median | $18k (exactly $17,738) |
| Top 25% | $124k (exactly $123,737) |
| Top 5% | $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 17 |
| Released games | 57 |
| Announced | 22 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $12.99 |
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 65% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Level Editor
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Historical
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Level Editor; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Resource Management, Sandbox
- Price point
- $12.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Isometric, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $12.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 13,483 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $6.2k. 5 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 22 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Level Editor with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + AutomationLong shot
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
Comparable games
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition 2020 · $39M 
Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront 2021 · $34M 
Diplomacy is Not an Option 2024 · $9.8M 
Men of War II 2024 · $7.6M 
Sudden Strike 4 2017 · $3.7M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition | older | $34.99 | 37,093 84% | 1.1M | $39M (exactly $38,936,522) | World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten… (World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires) |
| | Call to Arms - Gates of Hell: Ostfront | older | $34.99 | 32,183 85% | 965k | $34M (exactly $33,782,495) | Barbedwire Studios, Digitalmindsoft |
| | Diplomacy is Not an Option | $29.99 | 10,904 85% | 327k | $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329) | Door 407 | |
| | Men of War II | older | $44.99 | 5,614 60% | 168k | $7.6M (exactly $7,577,216) | Best Way |
| | Sudden Strike 4 | older | $19.99 | 6,249 78% | 187k | $3.7M (exactly $3,747,525) | Kite Games |
 | Pharaoh™: A New Era | older | $22.99 | 4,811 75% | 144k | $3.3M (exactly $3,318,147) | Triskell Interactive |
 | Syrian Warfare | older | $13.99 | 5,246 86% | 157k | $2.2M (exactly $2,201,746) | Cats Who Play |
 | Ages of Conflict: World War Simulator | · EA older | $6.99 | 8,904 96% | 267k | $1.9M (exactly $1,867,169) | JoySpark Games |
 | Mashinky | · EA older | $24.99 | 2,361 84% | 71k | $1.8M (exactly $1,770,042) | Jan Zelený |
 | Trainz Railroad Simulator 2022 | older | $39.99 | 1,214 74% | 36k | $1.5M (exactly $1,456,436) | N3V Games |
 | Citadelum | $24.99 | 1,005 83% | 30k | $753k (exactly $753,448) | Abylight Barcelona | |
 | Train Sim World® 7 | $49.99 | 278 74% | 8.3k | $417k (exactly $416,917) | Dovetail Games | |
 | Warnament | $12.99 | 479 84% | 14k | $187k (exactly $186,666) | Luden.io | |
 | States of Power | $11.99 | 344 88% | 10k | $124k (exactly $123,737) | Sarunas | |
 | Outside the Blocks | $14.99 | 192 87% | 5.8k | $86k (exactly $86,342) | Michał Kubas | |
 | Only Lead Can Stop Them | $9.99 | 144 78% | 4.3k | $43k (exactly $43,157) | Warcry Interactive | |
 | TRS22 Model Railroaders Edition | $39.99 | 15 66% | 450 | $18k (exactly $17,996) | N3V Games | |
 | Observe | · EA | $7.99 | 74 91% | 2.2k | $18k (exactly $17,738) | Kisotik Games |
 | War Room: Tactical Sandbox | · EA | $9.99 | 48 62% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $14,386) | Lado B Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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