Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Tower Defense

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Level Editor Tower Defense?

Level Editor + Tower Defense

Of 21 developers who shipped a Level Editor Tower Defense 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.. 42 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $450 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 42 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 42 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Tower Defense
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.1k → $60 → $359 → $600 → $1.2k → $2.7k (still earning) → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Tower Defense: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $5.7k (exactly $5,694)
Top 5% $513k (exactly $512,743)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 71
Announced 42
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 down 10% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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
Tower Defense
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Level Editor, Tower Defense; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Strategy, Sandbox
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Top-Down
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 12,791 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $450, 1 in 4 over $5.6k, 1 in 20 over $510k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 7 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 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

Diplomacy is Not an Option 2024 · $9.8M Mindustry 2019 · $7.4M Creeper World 4 2020 · $3.4M Rise to Ruins 2019 · $3.3M Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal 2014 · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Diplomacy is Not an Option $29.99 10,904 85% 327k $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329) Door 407
Mindustry older $9.99 24,608 95% 738k $7.4M (exactly $7,375,018) AnukenDev
Creeper World 4 older $24.99 4,553 94% 137k $3.4M (exactly $3,413,384) Knuckle Cracker
Rise to Ruins older $14.99 7,234 87% 217k $3.3M (exactly $3,253,130) Raymond Doerr
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal older $14.99 4,098 96% 123k $1.8M (exactly $1,842,871) Knuckle Cracker
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break older $14.99 1,259 78% 38k $566k (exactly $566,172) ACE Team, Giant Monkey Robot
Particle Fleet: Emergence older $14.99 1,197 92% 36k $538k (exactly $538,291) Knuckle Cracker
Creeper World IXE $19.99 855 69% 26k $513k (exactly $512,743) Knuckle Cracker
Dungeon Warfare 3 $18.99 679 78% 20k $387k (exactly $386,826) Excidium Inc., Valsar
变量 Variables older $10.99 954 86% 29k $315k (exactly $314,534) Asteroid Game Studio
Block Fortress 2 $19.99 264 81% 7.9k $158k (exactly $158,321) Foursaken Media
Elemental War Clash $19.99 16 81% 480 $9.6k (exactly $9,595) Clockwork Origins
HexaScape: Cyber Defense $14.99 15 100% 450 $6.7k (exactly $6,746) Clockwork Origins
Battle Architect: Dalasito · EA $9.99 19 52% 570 $5.7k (exactly $5,694) Dalas
Biletide $5.99 24 100% 720 $4.3k (exactly $4,313) Formic Games
Falling Stars... and other celestial objects $12.99 7 100% 210 $2.7k (exactly $2,728) From The Moon
Fluffy Tower Defense $4.99 8 100% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) Tigerish Games

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