Games › Turn-Based Strategy › Turn-Based Strategy + Match 3
Should I ship a Match 3 Turn-Based Strategy?
Turn-Based Strategy + Match 3
Of 21 developers who shipped a Match 3 Turn-Based Strategy 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.. 33 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $180, ×0.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50. 33 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper, while revenue is up 2050% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $178 (exactly $178) |
| Top 25% | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) |
| Top 5% | $37k (exactly $37,488) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 21 |
| Released games | 54 |
| Announced | 33 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 2050% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Turn-Based Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Match 3
- effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Turn-Based Strategy, Match 3; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 448 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Turn-Based Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + Cold WarFair
- + RomeFair
- + LootFair
- + MiningFair
- + DwarvesFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + TanksFair
- + SokobanFair
- + Top-Down ShooterFair
- + SpaceFair
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) |
| | Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition | older | $17.99 | 434 80% | 13k | $234k (exactly $234,230) | Dotemu, Capybara Games |
| | Sagrada | older | $9.99 | 317 94% | 9.5k | $95k (exactly $95,005) | Dire Wolf |
| | ANTHEM#9 | $14.99 | 125 87% | 3.8k | $56k (exactly $56,212) | koeda | |
| | 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 | |
| | Merge & Blade | older | $9.99 | 121 76% | 3.6k | $36k (exactly $36,264) | Magic Cube |
| | Minesweeper Collector 2 | older | $9.99 | 97 89% | 2.9k | $29k (exactly $29,071) | Anton Kryukov |
| | Kaamos: Puzzle Roguelike | $9.99 | 73 87% | 2.2k | $22k (exactly $21,878) | Pepperbox Studios | |
| | Talent Club ~ Match 3 Puzzle | older | $6.99 | 83 69% | 2.5k | $17k (exactly $17,405) | Ex-Erotia |
| | Roguematch : The Extraplanar Invasion | $14.99 | 33 84% | 990 | $15k (exactly $14,840) | Starstruck Games | |
| | Match! The 12 CZ Wars | $5.99 | 27 100% | 810 | $4.9k (exactly $4,852) | CorvusCorax Studio | |
| | Dexterous: Time to Steal | $9.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | HalfZach | |
| | Dialoop -Roguelite Puzzle- | $7.99 | 16 81% | 480 | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) | Byking Inc. | |
| | Hunk Battle Gems | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | NamekoKing777 | |
| | Gyre | $0.99 | 18 100% | 540 | $535 (exactly $535) | Klaxix | |
| | Mysteerie | $5.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $359 (exactly $359) | Mallow Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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