Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Level Editor Management game?

Level Editor + Management

Of 38 developers who shipped a Level Editor Management 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.. 69 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.3k, ×3.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $9.3M, ×14960 the market median. Revenue is up 265% on the market; 69 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 265% on the market, 69 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 38
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $24k → $21k → $1.8k → $29k → $3.2k → $719 → $68k (still earning) → $6.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 38
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $2.3k (exactly $2,307)
Top 25% $47k (exactly $46,738)
Top 5% $9.4M (exactly $9,394,851)
Developers, 2 yr 38
Released games 112
Announced 69
Effort 5 / 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 up 265% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 4%, 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.

Level Editor
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Level Editor, Management; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Strategy, Building
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 48,068 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $2.3k, 1 in 4 over $46k, 1 in 20 over $9.3M.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Multiple EndingsFair17 devs · median $8.1k · 23 announced
  2. + Hidden ObjectFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $3.4k · 17 announced
  4. + Time AttackFair12 devs · median $748 · 14 announced
  5. + IdlerFair19 devs · median $719 · 12 announced
  6. + Score AttackFair51 devs · median $598 · 62 announced
  7. + AutomationLong shot27 devs · median $300 · 32 announced
  8. + TransportationPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 17 announced
  9. + TrainsPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 11 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds22 devs · median $43k · 46 announced
  11. + City BuilderPoor odds20 devs · median $24k · 50 announced
  12. + Online Co-OpPoor odds36 devs · median $19k · 111 announced

All 136 pairs on the Level Editor page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

American Truck Simulator 2016 · $99M Timberborn 2026 · $40M The Bus 2026 · $9.4M Parkitect 2018 · $6.1M War for the Overworld 2015 · $5.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
American Truck Simulator older $19.99 165,692 97% 5.0M $99M (exactly $99,365,492) SCS Software
Timberborn $34.99 38,529 95% 1.2M $40M (exactly $40,443,891) Mechanistry
The Bus $39.99 7,831 73% 235k $9.4M (exactly $9,394,851) TML-Studios
Parkitect older $29.99 6,809 94% 204k $6.1M (exactly $6,126,057) Texel Raptor
War for the Overworld older $29.99 6,495 85% 195k $5.8M (exactly $5,843,552) Brightrock Games
Pharaoh™: A New Era older $22.99 4,811 75% 144k $3.3M (exactly $3,318,147) Triskell Interactive
Rise of Industry older $29.99 3,122 74% 94k $2.8M (exactly $2,808,863) Dapper Penguin Studios
Factory Town older $19.99 4,142 90% 124k $2.5M (exactly $2,483,957) Erik Asmussen
AO Tennis 2 older $49.99 1,236 70% 37k $1.9M (exactly $1,853,629) Big Ant Studios
Mashinky · EA older $24.99 2,361 84% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,042) Jan Zelený
Overthrown $24.99 255 55% 7.7k $191k (exactly $191,174) Brimstone
Pro Basketball Manager 2025 $24.99 169 68% 5.1k $127k (exactly $126,699) Umix Studios
Pro Basketball Manager 2026 $29.99 121 69% 3.6k $109k (exactly $108,864) Umix Studios
Train Valley Origins $11.95 266 75% 8.0k $95k (exactly $95,361) Flazm
CFS (Chinese Football Simulator) $9.99 290 67% 8.7k $87k (exactly $86,913) 悟空实验室
Summer Islands $14.99 190 81% 5.7k $85k (exactly $85,443) Marttalin Games
Together in Battle $19.99 134 90% 4.0k $80k (exactly $80,360) Sinister Design
BOXROOM · EA $7.99 283 70% 8.5k $68k (exactly $67,835) Nested Loop Studios

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