Do I ship it?

Games › Local Multiplayer › Local Multiplayer + Word Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer Word Game?

Local Multiplayer + Word Game

Only 18 developers shipped a Local Multiplayer Word 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, The Jackbox Survey Scramble, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 14 developers shipped in the last year and 16 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 16 announced, ×1.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Multiplayer + Word Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 18
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.5k → $19k → $239 (still earning) → $180 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Multiplayer + Word Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 18
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $240 (exactly $240)
Top 25% $1.2k (exactly $1,166)
Top 5% $95k (exactly $95,305)
Developers, 2 yr 18
Released games 42
Announced 16
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 95% on the market, supply 250% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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
Word Game
effort 1 / 10 · high · dictionary logic and simple UI

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, Word Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Local Co-Op, 4 Player Local, Co-op
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Family Friendly, 2D, Comedy
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 537 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $240, 1 in 4 over $1.1k, 1 in 20 over $95k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 16 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.

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

The Jackbox Party Pack 7 2020 · $3.6M The Jackbox Party Pack 8 2021 · $1.0M The Jackbox Party Pack 9 2022 · $544k The Jackbox Survey Scramble 2024 · $95k What The Dub?! 2021 · $93k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 older $29.99 4,001 96% 120k $3.6M (exactly $3,599,700) Jackbox Games, Inc.
The Jackbox Party Pack 8 older $29.99 1,134 90% 34k $1.0M (exactly $1,020,260) Jackbox Games, Inc.
The Jackbox Party Pack 9 older $29.99 605 84% 18k $544k (exactly $544,318) Jackbox Games, Inc.
The Jackbox Survey Scramble $9.99 318 90% 9.5k $95k (exactly $95,305) Jackbox Games, Inc
What The Dub?! older $7.99 386 91% 12k $93k (exactly $92,524) Wide Right Interactive, Mark Zorn, Kurt… (Wide Right Interactive, Mark Zorn, Kurt Wojda)
RiffTrax: The Game older $9.99 219 91% 6.6k $66k (exactly $65,634) Wide Right Interactive, Mark Zorn, Kurt… (Wide Right Interactive, Mark Zorn, Kurt Wojda)
Deviation Game · EA $14.99 109 90% 3.3k $49k (exactly $49,017) Tomo Kihara, Playfool
CrossCraze older $17.99 54 98% 1.6k $29k (exactly $29,144) ORT Software
おしゃべりキング！コミュ力診断ゲーム $8.99 69 97% 2.1k $19k (exactly $18,609) Hyper Index, Inc.
Happy Words older $4.99 121 46% 3.6k $18k (exactly $18,114) LAN - GAMES LTD
Yesterday's News $11.99 18 83% 540 $6.5k (exactly $6,475) Rooibos Games
Waddle Words $2.99 13 100% 390 $1.2k (exactly $1,166) Grau Games
お名前バトル $5.00 4 75% 120 $600 (exactly $600) 株式会社スタジオトリガー
Zingers $7.99 2 50% 60 $479 (exactly $479) devbribe
Ray Cheng Trivia Editor $9.99 1 0% 30 $300 (exactly $300) Ray Cheng
Raisin Word-Connect · EA $7.99 1 100% 30 $240 (exactly $240) RaisinRiot
图说八道 $3.99 2 100% 60 $239 (exactly $239) StarryMatrix

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