Do I ship it?

GamesManagementManagement + Top-Down Shooter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Top-Down Shooter Management game?

Management + Top-Down Shooter

Of 26 developers who shipped a Top-Down Shooter Management 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.. 58 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 $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $78k, ×125 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 58 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 58 announced, ×3.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Management + Top-Down Shooter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 26
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $119 → $25k → $1.5k → $449 (still earning) → $1.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Management + Top-Down Shooter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 26
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Top 25% $6.7k (exactly $6,736)
Top 5% $79k (exactly $78,521)
Developers, 2 yr 26
Released games 53
Announced 58
Effort 5 / 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 55% on the market, supply 90% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Management
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Top-Down Shooter
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Management, Top-Down Shooter; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Combat, Shooter
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Top-Down, 3D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 1,491 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 $6.7k, 1 in 20 over $78k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 58 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Management with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RomeFair21 devs · median $64k · 23 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair195 devs · median $17k · 225 announced
  3. + WesternFair18 devs · median $13k · 22 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair114 devs · median $12k · 154 announced
  5. + JRPGFair37 devs · median $9.4k · 35 announced
  6. + MinigamesFair22 devs · median $7.4k · 15 announced
  7. + RhythmFair19 devs · median $5.9k · 24 announced
  8. + UnderwaterFair37 devs · median $5.0k · 54 announced
  9. + CollectathonFair182 devs · median $3.5k · 230 announced
  10. + DwarvesFair13 devs · median $3.2k · 18 announced
  11. + 3D FighterFair11 devs · median $3.1k · 15 announced
  12. + IncrementalFair611 devs · median $1.9k · 893 announced

All 214 pairs on the Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Keep Her Safe · EA $9.99 382 97% 11k $114k (exactly $114,485) Gugu Studio
Apocalypse Express $9.99 262 81% 7.9k $79k (exactly $78,521) Llamaware Studios
Ash & Adam's Existential Treads $6.99 340 92% 10k $71k (exactly $71,298) Ash & Adam's Games
No Escape from Madness $11.99 197 60% 5.9k $71k (exactly $70,861) qiqin
Trashed · EA older $9.99 129 41% 3.9k $39k (exactly $38,661) Josh Presseisen
Dead Unending older $9.99 108 41% 3.2k $32k (exactly $32,368) Tyler Hudson
Try to survive Today · EA $10.99 77 68% 2.3k $25k (exactly $25,387) VIVA
Star Control I and II older $3.99 164 83% 4.9k $20k (exactly $19,631) Toys for Bob
Status One $14.99 30 73% 900 $13k (exactly $13,491) LastCall Studio
Valand older $7.99 54 59% 1.6k $13k (exactly $12,944) LOMS Studio
Kitchen Wars $4.99 45 80% 1.4k $6.7k (exactly $6,736) Silent Owl
Deepstone Rift · EA $4.99 45 68% 1.4k $6.7k (exactly $6,736) Northend Games
Shoot The Barrels $1.99 103 72% 3.1k $6.1k (exactly $6,149) BATTLE LAB
Enemy Inside · EA $12.99 10 100% 300 $3.9k (exactly $3,897) Six Ways Games

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