Games › Metroidvania › Metroidvania + Zombies
Should I ship a Zombie Metroidvania?
Metroidvania + Zombies
Only 12 developers shipped a Zombie Metroidvania 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, SENARA: The Sacrament, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×5.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.0 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $27k, ×44 the market median. Revenue is up 200% on the market; 27 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.3k (exactly $1,256) |
| Top 25% | $9.6k (exactly $9,590) |
| Top 5% | $28k (exactly $27,525) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 48 |
| Announced | 27 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 200% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Metroidvania
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Zombies
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Metroidvania
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 70% positive over 172 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Metroidvania with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + ParkourPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
- + SimulationPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + CollectathonPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Survival HorrorPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + VampiresPoor odds
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
Comparable games
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights 2021 · $32M 
DEAD OR SCHOOL 2019 · $2.0M 
Escape Dead Island 2014 · $567k 
DLC Quest 2013 · $448k 
Dark Light 2022 · $317k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights | older | $24.99 | 43,092 93% | 1.3M | $32M (exactly $32,306,072) | Live Wire, Adglobe |
| | DEAD OR SCHOOL | older | $24.99 | 2,607 84% | 78k | $2.0M (exactly $1,954,468) | Studio Nanafushi |
| | Escape Dead Island | older | $14.99 | 1,261 60% | 38k | $567k (exactly $567,072) | Fatshark |
| | DLC Quest | older | $2.99 | 4,994 87% | 150k | $448k (exactly $447,962) | Going Loud Studios |
| | Dark Light | older | $16.99 | 622 77% | 19k | $317k (exactly $317,033) | Mirari&Co. |
 | Flynn: Son of Crimson | older | $19.99 | 370 84% | 11k | $222k (exactly $221,889) | Studio Thunderhorse |
 | SiNiSistar Lite Version | older | $4.99 | 858 85% | 26k | $128k (exactly $128,443) | Uu |
 | Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX) | older | $11.99 | 336 92% | 10k | $121k (exactly $120,859) | Locomalito, Gryzor87 |
 | Mayhem in Single Valley | older | $14.99 | 178 85% | 5.3k | $80k (exactly $80,047) | Fluxscopic Ltd. |
 | Genopanic | older | $8.99 | 271 73% | 8.1k | $73k (exactly $73,089) | Mobirate |
 | SENARA: The Sacrament | $17.99 | 51 74% | 1.5k | $28k (exactly $27,525) | Influsion Inc. | |
 | VonGarland Castle : Beyond Blood | $14.99 | 42 57% | 1.3k | $19k (exactly $18,887) | Ash Jackson | |
 | Stone 4 Souls | $9.99 | 32 78% | 960 | $9.6k (exactly $9,590) | Adeilson S Vieira | |
 | Drealegy | $10.00 | 14 64% | 420 | $4.2k (exactly $4,200) | ArcWillow | |
 | Blight Night | $15.99 | 6 66% | 180 | $2.9k (exactly $2,878) | Famous Games LLC | |
 | Ex-Master, Zombie | $2.99 | 14 71% | 420 | $1.3k (exactly $1,256) | HugePixel | |
 | Anzu Castle Gracula | $4.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $748 (exactly $748) | Rainbow Cemetery | |
 | Full Effect | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | Silverheaven Interactive | |
 | Praise To The Moon | $4.99 | 4 50% | 120 | $599 (exactly $599) | PolarCatStudio, MayaraCrulcifer | |
 | Rusty Flesh | $7.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $479 (exactly $479) | Wasteland Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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