Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Medieval

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Medieval Level Editor game?

Level Editor + Medieval

Of 32 developers who shipped a Medieval Level Editor 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.. 45 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $5.4M, ×8639 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 45 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 45 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Medieval
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 32
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.6k → $2.6k → $16k → $1.5k → $599 → $5.6k (still earning) → $2.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Medieval: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 32
Bottom 30% $210 (exactly $210)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Top 25% $80k (exactly $80,496)
Top 5% $5.4M (exactly $5,425,169)
Developers, 2 yr 32
Released games 76
Announced 45
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 down 90% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Medieval
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Building, Exploration
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 2D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 33,716 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $210, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $80k, 1 in 20 over $5.4M.

3 in 10 developers made under $210. 6 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 45 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Level Editor with a different setting or mood, 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

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition 2020 · $39M Besiege 2020 · $22M Diplomacy is Not an Option 2024 · $9.8M Age of History 3 2024 · $5.4M Fantasy Map Simulator 2024 · EA · $1.0M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition older $34.99 37,093 84% 1.1M $39M (exactly $38,936,522) World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten… (World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires)
Besiege older $14.99 48,045 95% 1.4M $22M (exactly $21,605,836) Spiderling Studios
Diplomacy is Not an Option $29.99 10,904 85% 327k $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329) Door 407
Age of History 3 $9.99 18,102 85% 543k $5.4M (exactly $5,425,169) Łukasz Jakowski
Fantasy Map Simulator · EA older $7.99 4,190 89% 126k $1.0M (exactly $1,004,343) The Stranger
The Artisan of Glimmith $12.99 2,513 97% 75k $979k (exactly $979,316) Lunarch Studios
Legends of Eisenwald older $19.99 1,394 76% 42k $836k (exactly $835,982) Aterdux Entertainment
Shadwen older $16.99 1,049 77% 31k $535k (exactly $534,675) Frozenbyte
Wizordum $19.99 880 91% 26k $528k (exactly $527,736) Emberheart Games
Canvas of Kings · EA older $18.99 818 93% 25k $466k (exactly $466,015) Hannes Breuer
Dungeon Warfare 3 $18.99 679 78% 20k $387k (exactly $386,826) Excidium Inc., Valsar
Outside the Blocks $14.99 192 87% 5.8k $86k (exactly $86,342) Michał Kubas
Shields of Loyalty $19.99 140 77% 4.2k $84k (exactly $83,958) Mosaic Mask Studio
Ballex²: The Hanging Gardens $14.99 179 95% 5.4k $80k (exactly $80,496) Mushreb Games
Voxelgram 2 $9.99 111 85% 3.3k $33k (exactly $33,267) Procedural Level
Elemental War Clash $19.99 16 81% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,595) Clockwork Origins

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