Games › Idler › Idler + Zombies
Should I ship a Zombie Idler?
Idler + Zombies
Only 18 developers shipped a Zombie Idler 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, Another Try 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $420, ×0.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150. 34 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper, while revenue is down 65% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $418 (exactly $418) |
| Top 25% | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) |
| Top 5% | $210k (exactly $209,700) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 55 |
| Announced | 34 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 160% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Idler; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Survival, Action
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Minimalist
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 54% positive over 1,169 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + Hack and SlashFair
- + DrivingFair
- + LootFair
- + FPSFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Dynamic NarrationFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + SwordplayFair
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Another Try 2 | · EA | $6.99 | 1,000 53% | 30k | $210k (exactly $209,700) | Hoki Wolf Studio |
| | Dead District: Survival | older | $9.99 | 415 48% | 12k | $124k (exactly $124,376) | BadBit Games |
| | Doom Sweeper | older | $4.99 | 782 72% | 23k | $117k (exactly $117,065) | Paper Dog |
| | KUNKUN Defender | older | $2.99 | 822 97% | 25k | $74k (exactly $73,733) | Seal |
| | Drakkar Crew | older | $14.99 | 155 80% | 4.7k | $70k (exactly $69,704) | SiBear Games |
| | Rabbit Hole | older | $7.99 | 264 78% | 7.9k | $63k (exactly $63,281) | Nikita Ustinov, Nikolay Lazarev |
| | Family curse | older | $6.99 | 222 90% | 6.7k | $47k (exactly $46,553) | Stork Game |
| | Dead Unending | older | $9.99 | 108 41% | 3.2k | $32k (exactly $32,368) | Tyler Hudson |
| | Another Try | older | $2.99 | 290 50% | 8.7k | $26k (exactly $26,013) | Hoki Wolf Studio |
| | Praise Dead | older | $4.99 | 118 70% | 3.5k | $18k (exactly $17,665) | Intrepid Marmot |
| | Yet Another Incremental Game (but this time about coding) | · EA | $7.99 | 39 71% | 1.2k | $9.3k (exactly $9,348) | Raclette Games |
| | Polygeddon | $2.99 | 61 40% | 1.8k | $5.5k (exactly $5,472) | Digital Dreamworks, Gamesforfarm | |
| | Voyeur Villa - Living with Monster Girls Edition | $19.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $3.0k (exactly $2,998) | Sexy Hentai Games Factory | |
| | Operation: Outbreak Idle | $4.99 | 19 89% | 570 | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) | DeadLogics | |
| | Village Defenders | $2.99 | 16 31% | 480 | $1.4k (exactly $1,435) | Uberbax-Gaming | |
| | Undead Hunter Part I | $1.99 | 14 78% | 420 | $836 (exactly $836) | Fireplay Studio | |
| | Last Hope: Zombie Autobattler | $3.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $598 (exactly $598) | Hands-Off Games | |
| | Exploiters | · EA | $1.99 | 7 14% | 210 | $418 (exactly $418) | Comar Studios |
| | Is Zombody Home? | $3.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $359 (exactly $359) | Topius, RalphEl |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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