Games › Strategy › Strategy + Metroidvania
Should I ship a Metroidvania Strategy game?
Strategy + Metroidvania
Only 18 developers shipped a Metroidvania Strategy 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, Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 40 more are announced, ×3.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×3.0 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $730k, ×1172 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 40 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.9k (exactly $1,915) |
| Top 25% | $9.3k (exactly $9,281) |
| Top 5% | $736k (exactly $736,220) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 69 |
| Announced | 40 |
| 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 down 10% on the market, supply 55% 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.
- Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Metroidvania
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy, Metroidvania; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry 2D Platformer, Action, Adventure
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Retro, 2D, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 96% positive over 3,002 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 40 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + BaseballFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + WuxiaFair
- + FarmingFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + SubmarineFair
- + NavalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + HackingFair
Comparable games
Monster Sanctuary 2020 · $6.2M 
Eastern Exorcist 2021 · $3.3M 
Isles of Sea and Sky 2024 · $922k 
Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew 2025 · $736k 
3dSen PC 2025 · $236k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Monster Sanctuary | older | $19.99 | 10,416 91% | 312k | $6.2M (exactly $6,246,475) | moi rai games |
| | Eastern Exorcist | older | $17.99 | 6,099 84% | 183k | $3.3M (exactly $3,291,630) | Wildfire Game（无锡野火数字科技有限公司） |
| | Isles of Sea and Sky | older | $19.99 | 1,538 91% | 46k | $922k (exactly $922,339) | Cicada Games |
| | Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew | $10.99 | 2,233 97% | 67k | $736k (exactly $736,220) | 葱色兔兔/Scallion Rabbit | |
| | 3dSen PC | $14.99 | 524 91% | 16k | $236k (exactly $235,643) | Geod Studio | |
 | A Valley Without Wind 2 | older | $14.99 | 112 48% | 3.4k | $50k (exactly $50,366) | Arcen Games |
 | Control Craft 2 | older | $4.99 | 274 72% | 8.2k | $41k (exactly $41,018) | Cristian Manolachi, Atomic Fabrik |
 | Control Craft 3 | older | $4.99 | 235 73% | 7.1k | $35k (exactly $35,180) | Cristian Manolachi, Atomic Fabrik |
 | Barbarian Souls | older | $14.99 | 64 37% | 1.9k | $29k (exactly $28,781) | Sabrina Aridi |
 | face the immortal | · EA | $17.99 | 41 92% | 1.2k | $22k (exactly $22,128) | DY |
 | HOMESICKNESS | $5.99 | 64 92% | 1.9k | $12k (exactly $11,501) | jnity, celesware | |
 | CorgiSpace | $4.99 | 62 96% | 1.9k | $9.3k (exactly $9,281) | Adam Saltsman | |
 | Just Move Fall Dungeon Endless Abyss | $15.99 | 8 50% | 240 | $3.8k (exactly $3,838) | daminggede | |
 | SEBI 16 | $7.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $3.1k (exactly $3,116) | Sebastian Lind | |
 | 方块 Block | $2.99 | 33 93% | 990 | $3.0k (exactly $2,960) | GlanielStudio | |
 | Guess the Flag! | $3.99 | 16 93% | 480 | $1.9k (exactly $1,915) | Source Byte | |
 | 白色归途 | $3.99 | 8 100% | 240 | $958 (exactly $958) | M芒果ngo |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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