Do I ship it?

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Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management Metroidvania?

Metroidvania + Inventory Management

Only 12 developers shipped an Inventory Management Metroidvania 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, DAMON and BABY, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 42 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $14k, ×29 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $630; 1 in 20 cleared $52k, ×110 the market median. Revenue is up 15495% on the market; 42 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 29.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 15495% on the market, 42 announced, ×4.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Metroidvania + Inventory Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Metroidvania + Inventory Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $629 (exactly $629)
Median $14k (exactly $13,941)
Top 25% $28k (exactly $27,525)
Top 5% $52k (exactly $52,174)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 28
Announced 42
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 15495% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Metroidvania
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Inventory Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Metroidvania, Inventory Management
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 452 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $630, median $14k, 1 in 4 over $27k, 1 in 20 over $52k.

3 in 10 developers made under $630. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Metroidvania with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + ParkourPoor odds8 devs · median $80k · 40 announced
  2. + Online Co-OpPoor odds12 devs · median $74k · 15 announced
  3. + CraftingPoor odds10 devs · median $34k · 61 announced
  4. + SimulationPoor odds16 devs · median $32k · 35 announced
  5. + LovecraftianPoor odds8 devs · median $28k · 29 announced
  6. + CollectathonPoor odds30 devs · median $16k · 78 announced
  7. + Co-opPoor odds17 devs · median $15k · 33 announced
  8. + Survival HorrorPoor odds14 devs · median $14k · 46 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds102 devs · median $14k · 335 announced
  10. + VampiresPoor odds16 devs · median $14k · 29 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds16 devs · median $12k · 37 announced
  12. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds106 devs · median $12k · 323 announced

All 90 pairs on the Metroidvania page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Lost Ruins 2021 · $2.8M Vagante 2018 · $1.9M Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) 2016 · $121k DAMON and BABY 2026 · $52k The Lacerator 2025 · $48k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Lost Ruins older $19.99 4,643 86% 139k $2.8M (exactly $2,784,407) ALTARI GAMES
Vagante older $14.99 4,118 90% 124k $1.9M (exactly $1,851,865) Nuke Nine
Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) older $11.99 336 92% 10k $121k (exactly $120,859) Locomalito, Gryzor87
DAMON and BABY $19.99 87 89% 2.6k $52k (exactly $52,174) Arc System Works
The Lacerator $9.99 161 99% 4.8k $48k (exactly $48,252) Games From The Abyss
Genotype older $24.99 42 90% 1.3k $31k (exactly $31,487) Bolverk VR Games
SENARA: The Sacrament $17.99 51 74% 1.5k $28k (exactly $27,525) Influsion Inc.
VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood $14.99 42 57% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Ash Jackson
HOPE 01 · EA $11.99 43 88% 1.3k $15k (exactly $15,467) Bending Boy Games
Star Rift Saga $14.99 31 96% 930 $14k (exactly $13,941) Studio Vela LLC
SNOWY MEMORIES $4.99 15 100% 450 $2.2k (exactly $2,246) quan home
Red's Ascent $4.99 10 40% 300 $1.5k (exactly $1,497) Özgür Çallı
Bloodright $6.99 3 66% 90 $629 (exactly $629) OcO
Sunrise Of The Time: End Of Blue $1.99 9 100% 270 $537 (exactly $537) EOSGAMES

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.