Do I ship it?

GamesRogueliteRoguelite + Match 3

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Match 3 Roguelite?

Roguelite + Match 3

Of 34 developers who shipped a Match 3 Roguelite 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.. 69 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $810, ×1.7 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $74k, ×156 the market median. Revenue is up 300% on the market; 69 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 300% on the market, 69 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Roguelite + Match 3
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 34
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $5.0k → $3.9k → $150 → $3.6k → $1.2k (still earning) → $179 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Roguelite + Match 3: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 34
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $807 (exactly $807)
Top 25% $6.1k (exactly $6,081)
Top 5% $74k (exactly $74,216)
Developers, 2 yr 34
Released games 70
Announced 69
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $5.99

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 300% on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Roguelite
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Match 3
effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Roguelite, Match 3; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelike, Deckbuilding
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cartoony
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 2,117 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $810, 1 in 4 over $6.0k, 1 in 20 over $74k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Real-TimeFair11 devs · median $11k · 14 announced
  2. + ProgrammingFair24 devs · median $9.3k · 28 announced
  3. + VampiresFair60 devs · median $4.8k · 62 announced
  4. + TypingFair29 devs · median $2.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair21 devs · median $2.0k · 23 announced
  6. + IdlerFair166 devs · median $1.5k · 235 announced
  7. + DogsFair30 devs · median $1.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair23 devs · median $1.1k · 23 announced
  9. + Score AttackFair344 devs · median $719 · 450 announced
  10. + Point & ClickFair94 devs · median $600 · 121 announced
  11. + LogicFair144 devs · median $599 · 143 announced
  12. + DwarvesPoor odds21 devs · median $74k · 24 announced

All 229 pairs on the Roguelite page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Legend of Bum-Bo older $14.99 5,654 80% 170k $2.5M (exactly $2,542,604) Edmund McMillen, James Interactive, Rid… (Edmund McMillen, James Interactive, Ridiculon)
Titanium Court $14.99 1,094 94% 33k $492k (exactly $491,972) AP Thomson
ISEKAI QUEST older $3.99 3,679 85% 110k $440k (exactly $440,376) Studio Ginkgo
Ironcast older $14.99 774 72% 23k $348k (exactly $348,068) Dreadbit
10,000,000 older $4.99 1,807 90% 54k $271k (exactly $270,508) EightyEightGames
You Must Build A Boat older $4.99 836 81% 25k $125k (exactly $125,149) EightyEightGames
Infinite Tao older $3.99 852 79% 26k $102k (exactly $101,984) insomnia
Lucky Hunter $5.99 413 89% 12k $74k (exactly $74,216) 159 Studio
ANTHEM#9 $14.99 125 87% 3.8k $56k (exactly $56,212) koeda
Neon Village $9.99 146 86% 4.4k $44k (exactly $43,756) Encraft
Legends of Gems $8.99 139 81% 4.2k $37k (exactly $37,488) 南京西木优洛网络科技有限公司
Gem and Tarot $4.99 68 100% 2.0k $10k (exactly $10,180) SHEN DING
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
Rune Ark $6.99 29 65% 870 $6.1k (exactly $6,081) WelesGames
Match! The 12 CZ Wars $5.99 27 100% 810 $4.9k (exactly $4,852) CorvusCorax Studio

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