Games › Match 3 › Match 3 + Magic
Should I ship a Magic Match 3?
Match 3 + Magic
Of 35 developers who shipped a Magic Match 3 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.
Verdict: fair, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $720, ×1.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $180. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 36 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $718 (exactly $718) |
| Top 25% | $5.9k (exactly $5,876) |
| Top 5% | $70k (exactly $69,565) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 35 |
| Released games | 179 |
| Announced | 36 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 45% on the market, supply 210% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, 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
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Match 3; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, RPG, Roguelike
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Funny
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 93% positive over 1,457 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 36 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Match 3 with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Interactive FictionFair
- + RomanceFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DemonsFair
- + Time ManagementFair
- + ShooterFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + PvPLong shot
- + CombatLong shot
- + DogsLong shot
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Titanium Court | $14.99 | 1,094 94% | 33k | $492k (exactly $491,972) | AP Thomson | |
| | Humans are not that against Lizardwomen | older | $3.99 | 2,807 93% | 84k | $336k (exactly $335,998) | Hue Axis Entertainment |
| | Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition | older | $17.99 | 434 80% | 13k | $234k (exactly $234,230) | Dotemu, Capybara Games |
| | LOLLIPOP! | older | $4.99 | 1,318 75% | 40k | $197k (exactly $197,305) | 430Games, __Ja__ga__imo__ |
| | Hero Emblems II | older | $11.99 | 255 58% | 7.7k | $92k (exactly $91,724) | HeatPot Games |
| | Marble Duel: Sphere-Matching Tactical Fantasy | older | $14.99 | 181 59% | 5.4k | $81k (exactly $81,396) | HeroLabs |
| | Heartspell: Horizon Academy | $19.99 | 116 96% | 3.5k | $70k (exactly $69,565) | Dire Kitten Games | |
| | Project: Mirror | older | $4.99 | 444 76% | 13k | $66k (exactly $66,467) | 430Games, ArtistBOA |
| | Faerie Solitaire Harvest | older | $14.99 | 143 79% | 4.3k | $64k (exactly $64,307) | Subsoap |
| | Princess Farmer | older | $14.99 | 125 96% | 3.8k | $56k (exactly $56,212) | Samobee Games |
| | Roguematch : The Extraplanar Invasion | $14.99 | 33 84% | 990 | $15k (exactly $14,840) | Starstruck Games | |
| | Tasty Bite: Food dating simulator | $6.99 | 63 95% | 1.9k | $13k (exactly $13,211) | DuckMemeticsGames | |
| | 转生魔塔 | $11.99 | 26 88% | 780 | $9.4k (exactly $9,352) | Zeros | |
| | Slime Soup | $4.99 | 50 90% | 1.5k | $7.5k (exactly $7,485) | VANDERMAESEN GAMES | |
| | Torment Hexus | · EA | $9.99 | 21 100% | 630 | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) | TMA Games LLC |
| | Rune Ark | $6.99 | 29 65% | 870 | $6.1k (exactly $6,081) | WelesGames | |
| | Wide Slash Hero | $13.99 | 14 92% | 420 | $5.9k (exactly $5,876) | CelBranch | |
| | Avalon Jewels 2 Collector's Edition | $14.99 | 11 90% | 330 | $4.9k (exactly $4,947) | Anawiki Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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