Do I ship it?

GamesLocal MultiplayerLocal Multiplayer + Multiple Endings

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer Multiple Endings game?

Local Multiplayer + Multiple Endings

Of 22 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer Multiple Endings game 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.. 33 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×2.2 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $190k, ×420 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 33 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 80% on the market, 33 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Multiplayer + Multiple Endings
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $7.8k → $2.2k → $7.2k → $3.3k → $1.0k (still earning) → $120 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Multiplayer + Multiple Endings: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,196)
Top 5% $200k (exactly $199,700)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 80
Announced 33
Effort 4 / 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 80% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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.

Local Multiplayer
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Multiple Endings
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Local Multiplayer, Multiple Endings; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Arcade
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 1990's, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 68% positive over 1,983 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 $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $190k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Local Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + HockeyStrong odds11 devs · median $3.0k · 12 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair61 devs · median $5.8k · 64 announced
  3. + Action RPGFair43 devs · median $5.5k · 56 announced
  4. + Hex GridFair12 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  5. + ModernFair24 devs · median $3.6k · 16 announced
  6. + WargameFair28 devs · median $3.0k · 28 announced
  7. + TennisFair18 devs · median $2.3k · 10 announced
  8. + Point & ClickFair14 devs · median $2.0k · 8 announced
  9. + Artificial IntelligenceFair26 devs · median $1.8k · 27 announced
  10. + Football (American)Fair13 devs · median $1.8k · 4 announced
  11. + SportsFair196 devs · median $1.6k · 208 announced
  12. + RunnerFair23 devs · median $1.3k · 30 announced

All 174 pairs on the Local Multiplayer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Lost Castle / 失落城堡 older $9.99 18,417 87% 553k $5.5M (exactly $5,519,575) Hunter Studio
Catherine Classic older $19.99 8,858 88% 266k $5.3M (exactly $5,312,143) ATLUS
Pyre older $19.99 8,396 90% 252k $5.0M (exactly $5,035,081) Supergiant Games
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: Remake older $24.99 2,703 68% 81k $2.0M (exactly $2,026,439) MegaPixel Studio S. A.
Fight'N Rage older $19.99 2,557 92% 77k $1.5M (exactly $1,533,433) sebagamesdev
Star Control®: Origins older $19.99 2,067 74% 62k $1.2M (exactly $1,239,580) Stardock Entertainment
Mayhem Brawler older $19.99 836 89% 25k $501k (exactly $501,349) Hero Concept
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2: Remake $24.99 607 44% 18k $455k (exactly $455,068) MegaPixel Studio S. A.
The Yawhg older $9.99 1,131 84% 34k $339k (exactly $338,961) Damian Sommer, Emily Carroll
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon older $19.99 518 91% 16k $311k (exactly $310,645) VINE, Yacht Club Games
Class of '09: Puzzle Showdown $19.99 333 57% 10k $200k (exactly $199,700) SBN3
Worlds of Aria $14.99 220 90% 6.6k $99k (exactly $98,934) Ludogram
Lumberjacked $4.99 647 83% 19k $97k (exactly $96,856) Inner Realm Studios, Dumb Duck Games
Orange Roulette $2.99 132 96% 4.0k $12k (exactly $11,840) Mikey Houser
WolfFang SkullFang Saturn Tribute Boosted $19.99 12 66% 360 $7.2k (exactly $7,196) CITY CONNECTION
Deepest Trench $14.99 9 66% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) Favor Games
Zone 6 $11.99 10 100% 300 $3.6k (exactly $3,597) Ullbors
A Tower's Will $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Midnight Light Games, https://midnightl… (Midnight Light Games, https://midnightlightgames.com/)
Yellow Trouble $17.99 2 100% 60 $1.1k (exactly $1,079) DrearyWeary

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