Do I ship it?

GamesJRPGJRPG + Match 3

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Match 3 JRPG?

JRPG + Match 3

Only 5 developers shipped a Match 3 JRPG 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, Glamour Kaleidoscope, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 4 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.

Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $5.9k against a market of $630. 4 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 9.4 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 4 announced, ×1.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
JRPG + Match 3
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 5

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for JRPG + Match 3: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 5
Bottom 30% $3.7k (exactly $3,742)
Median $5.9k (exactly $5,876)
Top 25% $9.7k (exactly $9,712)
Top 5% $22k (exactly $21,573)
Developers, 2 yr 5
Released games 40
Announced 4
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 300% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 3%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

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

JRPG
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Match 3
effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
JRPG, Match 3
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 83,568 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $3.8k, median $5.9k, 1 in 4 over $9.7k, 1 in 20 over $21k.

3 in 10 developers made under $3.8k. 4 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds12 devs · median $54k · 6 announced
  2. + Mystery DungeonStrong odds43 devs · median $21k · 23 announced
  3. + NinjaFair7 devs · median $19k · 10 announced
  4. + RomanceFair153 devs · median $13k · 164 announced
  5. + Visual NovelFair219 devs · median $13k · 265 announced
  6. + ManagementFair37 devs · median $9.4k · 35 announced
  7. + Souls-likeFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  8. + Point & ClickFair41 devs · median $8.4k · 45 announced
  9. + LootFair34 devs · median $5.5k · 41 announced
  10. + RoguelikeFair85 devs · median $5.2k · 103 announced
  11. + 2D PlatformerFair150 devs · median $4.2k · 157 announced
  12. + Artificial IntelligenceFair25 devs · median $4.0k · 21 announced

All 142 pairs on the JRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mirror older $1.99 72,623 96% 2.2M $4.3M (exactly $4,335,593) KAGAMI WORKS
ISEKAI QUEST older $3.99 3,679 85% 110k $440k (exactly $440,376) Studio Ginkgo
Wish older $2.99 3,115 89% 93k $279k (exactly $279,416) Momentum Games
H-Isekai Loves older $2.99 1,292 84% 39k $116k (exactly $115,892) G-Blood
Hero Emblems II older $11.99 255 58% 7.7k $92k (exactly $91,724) HeatPot Games
NALOGI older $1.99 1,515 78% 45k $90k (exactly $90,446) CUTE ANIME GIRLS
Fantasy Match -Make a H match with cute young woman- older $7.99 203 79% 6.1k $49k (exactly $48,659) 魔界あ号営業所
Failed Adventurer older $4.99 226 81% 6.8k $34k (exactly $33,832) Srloop
WISH - Paradise High older $1.99 557 77% 17k $33k (exactly $33,253) Momentum Games
Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator older $9.99 103 64% 3.1k $31k (exactly $30,869) Studio Namaapa
Glamour Kaleidoscope $7.99 90 75% 2.7k $22k (exactly $21,573) Cup Dragon
Naughty Store Manager $11.99 27 33% 810 $9.7k (exactly $9,712) eroverse
Wide Slash Hero $13.99 14 92% 420 $5.9k (exactly $5,876) CelBranch
Project: Mirror 2 $4.99 25 44% 750 $3.7k (exactly $3,742) 430Games
Sweet Whiskers: Cozy Kitty Stories $1.99 16 93% 480 $955 (exactly $955) Anime Aqua Games

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