Do I ship it?

Games › Local Multiplayer › Local Multiplayer + Post-apocalyptic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Local Multiplayer game?

Local Multiplayer + Post-apocalyptic

Of 30 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic Local Multiplayer 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.. 36 more are announced, ×3.6 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 $450; 1 in 20 cleared $580k, ×938 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 36 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 36 announced, ×3.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Multiplayer + Post-apocalyptic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 30
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.5k → $2.7k → $2.7k → $1.1k → $6.3k → $449 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Multiplayer + Post-apocalyptic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 30
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,797)
Top 25% $10k (exactly $10,195)
Top 5% $589k (exactly $588,905)
Developers, 2 yr 30
Released games 86
Announced 36
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 55% on the market, supply 50% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Post-apocalyptic
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
Local Multiplayer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Local Co-Op, Co-op
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Side Scroller, Top-Down
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 70% positive over 5,747 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $580k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 36 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Local Multiplayer with a different setting or mood, 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

Nuclear Throne 2015 · $5.4M Gears of War: Reloaded 2025 · $4.7M Contagion 2013 · $3.0M Fight'N Rage 2017 · $1.5M Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons 2023 · $952k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Nuclear Throne older $11.99 15,047 96% 451k $5.4M (exactly $5,412,406) Vlambeer
Gears of War: Reloaded $39.99 3,950 61% 119k $4.7M (exactly $4,738,815) The Coalition
Contagion older $9.99 10,042 75% 301k $3.0M (exactly $3,009,587) Monochrome, Inc
Fight'N Rage older $19.99 2,557 92% 77k $1.5M (exactly $1,533,433) sebagamesdev
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons older $24.99 1,270 86% 38k $952k (exactly $952,119) Secret Base
Crimsonland older $13.99 2,107 94% 63k $884k (exactly $884,308) 10tons Ltd
Iron Meat $19.99 982 96% 29k $589k (exactly $588,905) Ivan Valeryevich Suvorov, Retroware
Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now older $6.99 2,098 89% 63k $440k (exactly $439,951) Dreamworlds
CYGNI: All Guns Blazing older $29.99 448 60% 13k $403k (exactly $403,066) KeelWorks
Coridden $19.99 426 89% 13k $255k (exactly $255,472) Aftnareld
Flying Tank $14.99 97 86% 2.9k $44k (exactly $43,621) Hexage
Tasty Planet: Final Bite $12.99 100 90% 3.0k $39k (exactly $38,970) Dingo Games
Raise Your Tribe · EA $9.99 57 52% 1.7k $17k (exactly $17,083) Primeval Forest Studios
M.O.O.D.S. $12.99 29 82% 870 $11k (exactly $11,301) StickyStoneStudio
Wild Ice $19.99 17 100% 510 $10k (exactly $10,195) Journey Bound Games
Soviet Survival · EA $4.99 68 75% 2.0k $10k (exactly $10,180) Hunt Studio
SHOCKWAVE TRIGGERS $9.99 21 95% 630 $6.3k (exactly $6,294) Shinu Real Arts

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