Do I ship it?

GamesPvPPvP + LGBTQ+

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an LGBTQ+ PvP game?

PvP + LGBTQ+

Only 13 developers shipped an LGBTQ+ PvP 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, Marathon, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $6.3k, ×4.2 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $840; 1 in 20 cleared $53M, ×35974 the market median. Revenue is up 325% on the market; 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 325% on the market, 25 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
PvP + LGBTQ+
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5M → $5.7k → $6.3k → $281k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for PvP + LGBTQ+: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $839 (exactly $839)
Median $6.3k (exactly $6,300)
Top 25% $143k (exactly $143,328)
Top 5% $54M (exactly $53,889,324)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 73
Announced 25
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $10.00

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 325% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 30%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

PvP
effort 8 / 10 · low · authoritative servers, latency compensation, cheating
LGBTQ+
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
PvP; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Character Customization, Online Co-Op, Simulation
Price point
$10.00 typical · top 25% priced $69.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $69.99 or above; the middle game at $10.00.

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 77,442 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $840, median $6.3k, 1 in 4 over $140k, 1 in 20 over $53M.

3 in 10 developers made under $840. 4 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

PvP with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + BaseballFair6 devs · median $7.6k · 9 announced
  2. + TransportationFair10 devs · median $5.7k · 11 announced
  3. + BasketballFair25 devs · median $2.6k · 28 announced
  4. + Football (American)Fair17 devs · median $1.8k · 12 announced
  5. + BikesFair10 devs · median $1.5k · 7 announced
  6. + GolfFair29 devs · median $1.4k · 34 announced
  7. + World War IFair12 devs · median $1.3k · 14 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair36 devs · median $1.2k · 48 announced
  9. + BilliardsFair18 devs · median $1.1k · 12 announced
  10. + TennisLong shot17 devs · median $899 · 15 announced
  11. + TypingLong shot28 devs · median $719 · 31 announced
  12. + SpellingLong shot14 devs · median $719 · 17 announced

All 247 pairs on the PvP page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- older $39.99 47,650 88% 1.4M $57M (exactly $57,165,705) Arc System Works
Marathon $39.99 44,919 81% 1.3M $54M (exactly $53,889,324) Bungie
NBA 2K26 $69.99 25,651 66% 770k $54M (exactly $53,859,405) Visual Concepts
Mortal Kombat 1 older $49.99 34,197 74% 1.0M $51M (exactly $51,285,241) NetherRealm Studios, QLOC
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R older $49.99 14,344 91% 430k $22M (exactly $21,511,697) CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd.
Call of Duty®: Vanguard older $59.99 4,172 67% 125k $7.5M (exactly $7,508,348) Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, High Moon… (Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, High Moon Studios, Raven Software, Beenox, Demonware)
WWE 2K25 $59.99 4,108 73% 123k $7.4M (exactly $7,393,168) Visual Concepts
Jujutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash older $59.99 3,051 60% 92k $5.5M (exactly $5,490,885) Byking Inc.
GRID Legends older $59.99 2,952 76% 89k $5.3M (exactly $5,312,714) Codemasters
NBA 2K27 $69.99 1,698 53% 51k $3.6M (exactly $3,565,291) Visual Concepts
Youtubers Life 3 $19.99 468 50% 14k $281k (exactly $280,660) UPLAY Online
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To $19.99 239 94% 7.2k $143k (exactly $143,328) Soft Not Weak, LLC
Sex With Friends $4.99 236 94% 7.1k $35k (exactly $35,329) B-Team
Tough Love Arena $11.99 38 97% 1.1k $14k (exactly $13,669) M. Paul Weeks, Amy Xu
Heatwave $10.00 21 95% 630 $6.3k (exactly $6,300) Monochromesoft
Minesweeper Together $2.99 64 95% 1.9k $5.7k (exactly $5,741) anchikai

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