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Should I ship a Local Multiplayer Twin Stick Shooter?
Local Multiplayer + Twin Stick Shooter
Of 45 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer Twin Stick Shooter 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.. 55 more are announced, ×2.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $750, ×1.6 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $10k, ×22 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 55 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $299 (exactly $299) |
|---|---|
| Median | $748 (exactly $748) |
| Top 25% | $3.1k (exactly $3,116) |
| Top 5% | $10k (exactly $10,490) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 45 |
| Released games | 196 |
| Announced | 55 |
| 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 10% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Twin Stick Shooter
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Local Multiplayer, Twin Stick Shooter; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 4 Player Local, PvP
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Top-Down
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 93% positive over 436 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. Nearly all of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 55 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Local Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
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- + Action RPGFair
- + Hex GridFair
- + ModernFair
- + WargameFair
- + TennisFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + SportsFair
- + RunnerFair
Comparable games
ROUNDS 2021 · $6.4M 
Nuclear Throne 2015 · $5.4M 
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef 2022 · $1.6M 
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light 2010 · $1.1M 
Juicy Realm 2018 · $980k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ROUNDS | older | $5.99 | 35,738 95% | 1.1M | $6.4M (exactly $6,422,119) | Landfall |
| | Nuclear Throne | older | $11.99 | 15,047 96% | 451k | $5.4M (exactly $5,412,406) | Vlambeer |
| | Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef | older | $19.99 | 2,586 87% | 78k | $1.6M (exactly $1,550,824) | Rogueside |
| | Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light | older | $9.99 | 3,566 92% | 107k | $1.1M (exactly $1,068,730) | Crystal Dynamics |
| | Juicy Realm | older | $9.99 | 3,269 87% | 98k | $980k (exactly $979,719) | SpaceCan |
 | Patch Quest | older | $14.99 | 2,058 94% | 62k | $925k (exactly $925,483) | Lychee Game Labs |
 | Crimsonland | older | $13.99 | 2,107 94% | 63k | $884k (exactly $884,308) | 10tons Ltd |
 | Assault Android Cactus+ | older | $19.99 | 1,325 94% | 40k | $795k (exactly $794,602) | Witch Beam |
 | LARA CROFT AND THE TEMPLE OF OSIRIS™ | older | $19.99 | 1,262 68% | 38k | $757k (exactly $756,821) | Crystal Dynamics |
 | Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved | older | $14.99 | 1,291 90% | 39k | $581k (exactly $580,563) | Lucid Games, Aspyr (Linux) |
 | Shape Shifter: Formations | $14.99 | 269 91% | 8.1k | $121k (exactly $120,969) | Castec Studios | |
 | M.O.O.D.S. | $12.99 | 29 82% | 870 | $11k (exactly $11,301) | StickyStoneStudio | |
 | Galactic Thunderdome | $9.99 | 35 100% | 1.1k | $10k (exactly $10,490) | Pansimula | |
 | Avian Knights | $14.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $6.3k (exactly $6,296) | Alan-1, Inc. | |
 | Yarn Guardians | $14.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $6.3k (exactly $6,296) | pentapaw studios | |
 | WIZARD PUNKS!!! | $6.99 | 23 95% | 690 | $4.8k (exactly $4,823) | EyeOfStormCat | |
 | Piss Off | · EA | $20.00 | 8 100% | 240 | $4.8k (exactly $4,800) | Emmanuel Crispi |
 | Goo Goo Grapplers | $7.99 | 20 100% | 600 | $4.8k (exactly $4,794) | Both Good | |
 | Pulsar Crash | $14.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $4.5k (exactly $4,497) | Little Doctor Games | |
 | Jumalien | $9.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $4.2k (exactly $4,196) | Kevin Pedatte |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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