Do I ship it?

GamesRogueliteRoguelite + Noir

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Noir Roguelite?

Roguelite + Noir

Of 43 developers who shipped a Noir 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.. 99 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $270 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 29 developers shipped in the last year and 99 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 99 announced, ×3.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Roguelite + Noir
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 43
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $589k → $269 → $1.0k → $59 → $269 → $748 (still earning) → $210 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Roguelite + Noir: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 43
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $269 (exactly $269)
Top 25% $8.1k (exactly $8,092)
Top 5% $87k (exactly $86,513)
Developers, 2 yr 43
Released games 77
Announced 99
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 95% on the market, supply 105% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Roguelite
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Noir
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Roguelite; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Strategy, Card Battler
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 10,747 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $270, 1 in 4 over $8.0k, 1 in 20 over $86k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 8 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 99 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Roguelite with a different setting or mood, 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
Slots & Daggers $7.99 7,421 93% 223k $1.8M (exactly $1,778,814) Friedemann
OTXO older $14.99 3,303 93% 99k $1.5M (exactly $1,485,359) Lateralis Heavy Industries
Menace from the Deep $16.99 2,466 84% 74k $1.3M (exactly $1,256,920) Flat Lab
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition older $24.99 786 71% 24k $589k (exactly $589,264) Plot Twist
Hell is Others older $14.99 991 73% 30k $446k (exactly $445,653) Strelka Games, Yonder
TTV2 older $4.99 1,487 86% 45k $223k (exactly $222,604) Walter Machado
Betrayal At Club Low older $9.99 538 97% 16k $161k (exactly $161,239) Cosmo D Studios
Traditional Chinese Medicine Simulator · EA older $14.99 304 96% 9.1k $137k (exactly $136,709) 曲波
Exorcism Agency $12.99 222 91% 6.7k $87k (exactly $86,513) YINGGUO GAME
RogueJack21 $11.99 196 67% 5.9k $71k (exactly $70,501) Zandbox Studio
Shana - Priestess of Tona $9.99 190 74% 5.7k $57k (exactly $56,943) Lustration Team
Cthulhu's Reach: Devil Reef $9.99 68 80% 2.0k $20k (exactly $20,380) The Fine Arc
TOUHOU RHAPSODY OF MOON RABBIT · EA $9.99 47 82% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) 瓦尔基里游戏
Noir Lords · EA $7.99 51 96% 1.5k $12k (exactly $12,225) Speed Trail Games
DarkRanger $6.99 51 66% 1.5k $11k (exactly $10,695) 铅笔龙, 偶尔不帅
Undead West $7.99 35 82% 1.1k $8.4k (exactly $8,390) Deathless Games

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