Should I ship a PvP Hunting game?
PvP + Hunting
Of 27 developers who shipped a PvP Hunting game in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 59 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, level with the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $16M, ×11078 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 59 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,559) |
| Top 25% | $37k (exactly $37,327) |
| Top 5% | $17M (exactly $16,594,966) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 27 |
| Released games | 67 |
| Announced | 59 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 95% on the market, supply 110% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP, Hunting; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Open World, Crafting, RPG
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 72% positive over 131,129 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 59 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + BaseballFair
- + TransportationFair
- + BasketballFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + BikesFair
- + GolfFair
- + World War IFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + BilliardsFair
- + TennisLong shot
- + TypingLong shot
- + SpellingLong shot
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | SCUM | $44.99 | 98,554 74% | 3.0M | $133M (exactly $133,018,334) | Gamepires | |
| | Soulmask | $29.99 | 18,445 76% | 553k | $17M (exactly $16,594,966) | CampFire Studio | |
| | Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin | older | $39.99 | 11,845 82% | 355k | $14M (exactly $14,210,446) | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| | Depth | older | $19.99 | 23,590 89% | 708k | $14M (exactly $14,146,923) | Ammobox Studios |
| | Night of the Dead | older | $29.99 | 10,380 77% | 311k | $9.3M (exactly $9,338,886) | Jackto Studios |
| | The Quinfall | $9.99 | 12,073 50% | 362k | $3.6M (exactly $3,618,278) | Vawraek Technology Inc. | |
| | Animalia Survival | · EA older | $19.99 | 2,823 64% | 85k | $1.7M (exactly $1,692,953) | High Brazil Studio |
| | Monster Hunter Stories | older | $29.99 | 1,615 90% | 48k | $1.5M (exactly $1,453,016) | CAPCOM Co., Ltd. |
| | FREEDOM WARS Remastered | $39.99 | 1,211 69% | 36k | $1.5M (exactly $1,452,837) | Dimps Corporation | |
| | Out of Reach | older | $14.99 | 2,390 54% | 72k | $1.1M (exactly $1,074,783) | Space Boat Studios |
| | Afterinfection | $8.99 | 463 56% | 14k | $125k (exactly $124,871) | RePatrick21 | |
| | DragonRoad | $19.98 | 82 91% | 2.5k | $49k (exactly $49,151) | XuJie | |
| | Hoofobia | $6.99 | 178 68% | 5.3k | $37k (exactly $37,327) | Deathyell Games | |
| | Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy | $39.99 | 20 60% | 600 | $24k (exactly $23,994) | Cradle Games, Play Mechanix, Inc | |
| | The Last Disease Z | · EA | $8.99 | 82 54% | 2.5k | $22k (exactly $22,115) | Bublig |
| | Scotland Yard – Hunting Mister X | $14.99 | 21 23% | 630 | $9.4k (exactly $9,444) | BitBarons GmbH |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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