Games › Open World › Open World + Programming
Should I ship a Programming Open World game?
Open World + Programming
Only 9 developers shipped a Programming Open World 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, SimplePlanes 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×1.2 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $780k, ×527 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $539 (exactly $539) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) |
| Top 25% | $59k (exactly $59,226) |
| Top 5% | $789k (exactly $789,205) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 41 |
| Announced | 20 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 250% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Open World
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Programming
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Open World, Programming
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 75,852 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $540. 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + 4 Player LocalFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TrainsFair
- + FMVFair
- + GothicFair
- + MarsFair
- + TanksFair
- + FaithLong shot
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
Comparable games
Stormworks: Build and Rescue 2020 · $41M 
Starbase 2021 · EA · $6.5M 
Juno: New Origins 2023 · $1.9M 
Arctic Eggs 2024 · $1.6M 
Screeps: World 2016 · $1.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Stormworks: Build and Rescue | older | $24.99 | 54,649 90% | 1.6M | $41M (exactly $40,970,355) | Geometa |
| | Starbase | · EA older | $34.99 | 6,217 56% | 187k | $6.5M (exactly $6,525,985) | Frozenbyte |
| | Juno: New Origins | older | $19.99 | 3,085 89% | 93k | $1.9M (exactly $1,850,074) | Jundroo, LLC |
| | Arctic Eggs | older | $9.99 | 5,343 95% | 160k | $1.6M (exactly $1,601,297) | The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie,… (The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex) |
| | Screeps: World | older | $19.99 | 1,934 86% | 58k | $1.2M (exactly $1,159,820) | Screeps, LLC |
 | Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor | older | $19.99 | 1,758 78% | 53k | $1.1M (exactly $1,054,273) | Stray Fawn Studio |
 | SimplePlanes 2 | · EA | $19.99 | 1,316 92% | 39k | $789k (exactly $789,205) | Jundroo, LLC |
 | Omega Crafter | $24.99 | 529 77% | 16k | $397k (exactly $396,591) | Preferred Networks | |
 | Onset | · EA older | $18.99 | 674 66% | 20k | $384k (exactly $383,978) | Blue Mountains |
 | Else Heart.Break() | older | $24.99 | 347 78% | 10k | $260k (exactly $260,146) | Erik Svedäng, El Huervo / Niklas Åkerbl… (Erik Svedäng, El Huervo / Niklas Åkerblad, Tobias Sjögren, Oscar "Ratvader" Rydelius, Johannes Gotlén) |
 | Icaria | $24.99 | 79 75% | 2.4k | $59k (exactly $59,226) | Blindsight Games LLC | |
 | F.A.R.M.S.: Chill Factory | $7.99 | 22 72% | 660 | $5.3k (exactly $5,273) | Plema Crafts | |
 | Developer Daily | $9.99 | 6 83% | 180 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | Mehan Games | |
 | Dimensional Craft | $2.99 | 7 85% | 210 | $628 (exactly $628) | Limitless Square | |
 | Vault | $5.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $539 (exactly $539) | ItllBeFunTheySaid | |
 | Triangles | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | DETUNE LTD | |
 | BitVoxel | · EA | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Balancia Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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