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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.
| 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.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
Roguelite with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Real-TimeFair
- + ProgrammingFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TypingFair
- + Grand StrategyFair
- + IdlerFair
- + DogsFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + LogicFair
- + DwarvesPoor odds
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.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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