Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Zombies

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Zombie Level Editor game?

Level Editor + Zombies

Only 10 developers shipped a Zombie 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, Diplomacy is Not an Option, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 17 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 7 developers shipped in the last year and 17 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 17 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Zombies
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Level Editor + Zombies: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $105 (exactly $105)
Median $359 (exactly $359)
Top 25% $16k (exactly $16,184)
Top 5% $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 38
Announced 17
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 100% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 24%, 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
Zombies
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
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 85% positive over 11,201 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $110, median $360, 1 in 4 over $16k, 1 in 20 over $9.8M.

3 in 10 developers made under $110. 17 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 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

Diplomacy is Not an Option 2024 · $9.8M Door Kickers: Action Squad 2018 · $3.7M Contagion 2013 · $3.0M Zombie Night Terror 2016 · $1.3M Haydee 2 2020 · $1.2M
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
Door Kickers: Action Squad older $13.99 8,778 95% 263k $3.7M (exactly $3,684,127) PixelShard, KillHouse Games
Contagion older $9.99 10,042 75% 301k $3.0M (exactly $3,009,587) Monochrome, Inc
Zombie Night Terror older $12.99 3,352 93% 101k $1.3M (exactly $1,306,274) NoClip
Haydee 2 older $24.99 1,649 87% 49k $1.2M (exactly $1,236,255) Haydee Interactive
Ben and Ed - Blood Party older $14.99 2,297 88% 69k $1.0M (exactly $1,032,961) Sluggerfly
Murder Miners older $2.99 3,965 87% 119k $356k (exactly $355,660) JForce Games
I, Zombie older $1.99 2,180 84% 65k $130k (exactly $130,146) Awesome Games Studio
Double Kick Heroes older $19.99 151 82% 4.5k $91k (exactly $90,555) Headbang Club
Heavenworld older $11.99 232 59% 7.0k $83k (exactly $83,450) Helios Production
Chaos Faction Legacy Collection $4.99 234 93% 7.0k $35k (exactly $35,030) George "EON" Eade
UBERSLAUGHTER $9.99 54 87% 1.6k $16k (exactly $16,184) BillyBobCletus
Blocks and Bones $4.99 3 66% 90 $449 (exactly $449) HawkSandwich
Zombolion $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) SP games
Secret File $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Igrik Studios
Black Powder Box · EA $3.49 1 100% 30 $105 (exactly $105) Hollow Frame Games
Look at me $1.99 1 0% 30 $60 (exactly $60) Dream of Guinea Pigs
Papermancer $4.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) The Zivraye Group
Ripper · EA $4.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Unheard Software

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