Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Post-apocalyptic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Level Editor game?

Level Editor + Post-apocalyptic

Only 14 developers shipped a Post-apocalyptic Level Editor game 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, Timberborn, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 23 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $150 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 23 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 80% on the market, 23 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Post-apocalyptic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $60 → $599 → $6.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Post-apocalyptic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $150 (exactly $150)
Top 25% $9.6k (exactly $9,595)
Top 5% $40M (exactly $40,443,891)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 36
Announced 23
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 80% on the market, supply 265% more developers than 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
Post-apocalyptic
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; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Action, Combat
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $34.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $34.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 38,693 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $150, 1 in 4 over $9.5k, 1 in 20 over $40M.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 23 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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

Timberborn 2026 · $40M Pistol Whip 2019 · $3.2M Contagion 2013 · $3.0M Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ 2009 · $1.8M Meet Your Maker 2023 · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Timberborn $34.99 38,529 95% 1.2M $40M (exactly $40,443,891) Mechanistry
Pistol Whip older $29.99 3,586 94% 108k $3.2M (exactly $3,226,324) Cloudhead Games Ltd.
Contagion older $9.99 10,042 75% 301k $3.0M (exactly $3,009,587) Monochrome, Inc
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ older $6.96 8,777 89% 263k $1.8M (exactly $1,832,638) EA Los Angeles
Meet Your Maker older $19.99 3,013 73% 90k $1.8M (exactly $1,806,896) Behaviour Interactive Inc.
Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath older $6.96 5,499 93% 165k $1.1M (exactly $1,148,191) EA Los Angeles
Cloud Gardens older $17.99 2,102 95% 63k $1.1M (exactly $1,134,449) Noio
Race The Sun older $9.99 1,974 93% 59k $592k (exactly $591,608) Flippfly LLC
The Signal State older $19.99 649 86% 19k $389k (exactly $389,205) Reckoner Industries
Dustwind older $24.99 341 75% 10k $256k (exactly $255,648) Dustwind Studios
Puzzle Depot $19.99 61 100% 1.8k $37k (exactly $36,582) Laughing Manatee Games
Dustwind: Resistance $19.90 47 80% 1.4k $28k (exactly $28,059) Dustwind Studios, Z-Software
RAGER $19.99 16 100% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,595) Insane Prey
Maelstrom: The Battle for Earth Begins Enhanced $6.99 33 75% 990 $6.9k (exactly $6,920) KDV Games
Fur and Void $9.99 2 0% 60 $599 (exactly $599) DFS
ThinkExplosive $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) LongEcho
Astra Ignota $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Xavi Artigas
Secret File $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Igrik Studios
One Turret $1.99 2 100% 60 $119 (exactly $119) Kaplin86

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