Should I ship a Pirate Loot game?
Loot + Pirates
Only 16 developers shipped a Pirate Loot 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, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 44 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.8k, ×4.5 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $9.3M, ×14904 the market median. Revenue is up 965% on the market; 44 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $479 (exactly $479) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) |
| Top 25% | $127k (exactly $127,136) |
| Top 5% | $9.4M (exactly $9,360,004) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 39 |
| Announced | 44 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $12.99 |
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 up 965% on the market, supply 335% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 5%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Loot; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Exploration, Action-Adventure
- Price point
- $12.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $12.99.
The top 10 games average 57% positive over 15,909 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $480. 44 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Loot with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Artificial IntelligenceStrong odds
- + Local Co-OpStrong odds
- + SteampunkStrong odds
- + CapitalismFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + JRPGFair
- + EconomyFair
- + IdlerFair
- + CatsFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Creature CollectorFair
- + CollectathonFair
Comparable games
Marauders 2022 · EA · $12M 
SAND: Raiders of Sophie 2026 · EA · $9.4M 
Pixel Piracy 2014 · $2.6M 
Cat Quest III 2024 · $1.9M 
Salt 2: Shores of Gold 2025 · $1.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Marauders | · EA older | $29.99 | 13,505 68% | 405k | $12M (exactly $12,150,448) | Small Impact Games |
| | SAND: Raiders of Sophie | · EA | $24.99 | 12,485 49% | 375k | $9.4M (exactly $9,360,004) | Hologryph, TowerHaus |
| | Pixel Piracy | older | $14.99 | 5,713 65% | 171k | $2.6M (exactly $2,569,136) | Vitali Kirpu |
| | Cat Quest III | older | $19.99 | 3,108 94% | 93k | $1.9M (exactly $1,863,868) | The Gentlebros |
| | Salt 2: Shores of Gold | $19.99 | 2,182 85% | 65k | $1.3M (exactly $1,308,545) | Lavaboots Studios | |
 | Down with the Ship | · EA | $14.99 | 817 93% | 25k | $367k (exactly $367,405) | Iron Anchor Games |
 | Flinthook | older | $14.99 | 600 73% | 18k | $270k (exactly $269,820) | Tribute Games Inc. |
 | Out of Reach: Treasure Royale | older | $14.99 | 337 58% | 10k | $152k (exactly $151,549) | Space Boat Studios |
 | Pirates VR: Jolly Roger | $19.99 | 212 76% | 6.4k | $127k (exactly $127,136) | Split Light Studio | |
 | Rum & Gun | older | $4.99 | 390 92% | 12k | $58k (exactly $58,383) | Borington |
 | Void Marauders | $13.99 | 106 77% | 3.2k | $44k (exactly $44,488) | Autarca | |
 | HoloSeeker | $3.99 | 66 89% | 2.0k | $7.9k (exactly $7,900) | Imoyokan | |
 | Pirates: Rogue's Fortune | · EA | $12.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $3.9k (exactly $3,897) | NINPO Game Studio |
 | Pirate Patrol | $4.99 | 19 42% | 570 | $2.8k (exactly $2,844) | INDIELLIGENT | |
 | Clicker Clicker Treasure Picker | · EA | $2.99 | 10 70% | 300 | $897 (exactly $897) | EYVALON ENTERTAINMENT |
 | No Quarter | $13.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $839 (exactly $839) | BallsaurDev |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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