Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Turn-Based Strategy
Should I ship a Level Editor Turn-Based Strategy?
Level Editor + Turn-Based Strategy
Of 40 developers who shipped a Level Editor Turn-Based Strategy 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.. 62 more are announced, ×2.4 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 $480; 1 in 20 cleared $410k, ×653 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 62 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $479 (exactly $479) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) |
| Top 25% | $11k (exactly $10,912) |
| Top 5% | $410k (exactly $410,086) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 40 |
| Released games | 116 |
| Announced | 62 |
| 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 flat on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Turn-Based Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Level Editor, Turn-Based Strategy; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, Turn-Based Combat
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 2.5D, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 3,160 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $480. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Level Editor with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + AutomationLong shot
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
Comparable games
Solasta: Crown of the Magister 2021 · $18M 
Hero's Hour 2022 · $2.5M 
Legends of Eisenwald 2015 · $836k 
Hex of Steel 2020 · $647k 
Field of Glory II 2017 · $634k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Solasta: Crown of the Magister | older | $29.99 | 19,680 87% | 590k | $18M (exactly $17,706,096) | Tactical Adventures |
| | Hero's Hour | older | $17.99 | 4,643 79% | 139k | $2.5M (exactly $2,505,827) | Benjamin "ThingOnItsOwn" Hauer |
| | Legends of Eisenwald | older | $19.99 | 1,394 76% | 42k | $836k (exactly $835,982) | Aterdux Entertainment |
| | Hex of Steel | older | $24.99 | 863 95% | 26k | $647k (exactly $646,991) | War Frogs Studio |
| | Field of Glory II | older | $29.99 | 705 87% | 21k | $634k (exactly $634,288) | Byzantine Games |
 | Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break | older | $14.99 | 1,259 78% | 38k | $566k (exactly $566,172) | ACE Team, Giant Monkey Robot |
 | WindStop Strategy | $9.99 | 1,494 78% | 45k | $448k (exactly $447,752) | Xia Start | |
 | Warside | $24.99 | 547 68% | 16k | $410k (exactly $410,086) | LAVABIRD | |
 | No Plan B | older | $14.99 | 761 86% | 23k | $342k (exactly $342,222) | GFX47 |
 | 军团战棋Legion War | older | $9.99 | 741 89% | 22k | $222k (exactly $222,078) | Bear & Cat Studio |
 | Warnament | $12.99 | 479 84% | 14k | $187k (exactly $186,666) | Luden.io | |
 | Shields of Loyalty | $19.99 | 140 77% | 4.2k | $84k (exactly $83,958) | Mosaic Mask Studio | |
 | Dark Quest 4 | $19.99 | 136 75% | 4.1k | $82k (exactly $81,559) | Brain Seal Ltd | |
 | Athena Crisis | $9.99 | 127 77% | 3.8k | $38k (exactly $38,062) | Nakazawa Tech | |
 | Earth vs Mars | $14.99 | 74 85% | 2.2k | $33k (exactly $33,278) | Relic Entertainment | |
 | Tactical Annihilation | $15.99 | 56 98% | 1.7k | $27k (exactly $26,863) | B.G. Game Studio | |
 | Qianli: The Vastscape Scroll | $9.99 | 79 86% | 2.4k | $24k (exactly $23,676) | Betobe Studio | |
 | Delta Manager | · EA | $12.99 | 28 92% | 840 | $11k (exactly $10,912) | Fassi Blue |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.