Should I ship a PvP Idler?
PvP + Idler
Of 39 developers who shipped a paid PvP Idler 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.. 5 in 10 of the games here are free to play and sit outside these figures. 78 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.4k, level with the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×293 the market median. Revenue is up 190% on the market; 78 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $208 (exactly $208) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,436) |
| Top 25% | $13k (exactly $12,587) |
| Top 5% | $438k (exactly $438,458) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 39 |
| Released games | 134 |
| Announced | 78 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 190% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 48%, 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, Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, PvE, Simulation
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 73% positive over 6,209 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $210. 7 in 10 of the 37 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 78 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | BitCraft Online | · EA | $15.99 | 3,334 72% | 100k | $1.6M (exactly $1,599,320) | Clockwork Laboratories, Inc. |
| | Wretch: Divine Ascent | $14.99 | 975 75% | 29k | $438k (exactly $438,458) | Ogopogo | |
| | Flash Doll | $8.99 | 859 80% | 26k | $232k (exactly $231,672) | Game Star | |
| | Age of Clicks | · EA | $12.99 | 472 65% | 14k | $184k (exactly $183,938) | David Ius |
| | Kukoro: Stream chat games | older | $4.99 | 913 97% | 27k | $137k (exactly $136,676) | HeyNau |
| | Dead District: Survival | older | $9.99 | 415 48% | 12k | $124k (exactly $124,376) | BadBit Games |
| | PropHunter | · EA older | $3.99 | 917 79% | 28k | $110k (exactly $109,765) | Alone Fox Games |
| | Bhop PRO | older | $9.99 | 225 18% | 6.8k | $67k (exactly $67,432) | HorseGames |
| | Adventure Land - The Code MMORPG | $14.99 | 144 84% | 4.3k | $65k (exactly $64,757) | Wizard | |
| | Nanomon Virtual Pet | $14.99 | 113 88% | 3.4k | $51k (exactly $50,816) | Oscar Brittain | |
| | Sit-Back Attack | · EA | $8.99 | 110 78% | 3.3k | $30k (exactly $29,667) | Stapleton |
| | Stardust Exile | $14.99 | 44 70% | 1.3k | $20k (exactly $19,787) | Apseren | |
| | Rune Legacy Idle | $4.99 | 116 55% | 3.5k | $17k (exactly $17,365) | Mume Games | |
| | Everfall 2: Idle Dungeon RPG | $9.99 | 42 76% | 1.3k | $13k (exactly $12,587) | GameDevJoey |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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