Games › Racing › Racing + Perma Death
Should I ship a Perma Death Racing game?
Racing + Perma Death
Only 10 developers shipped a Perma Death Racing 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, My Summer Car, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×7.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $5.2k against a market of $630. 29 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $148 (exactly $148) |
|---|---|
| Median | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) |
| Top 25% | $9.6k (exactly $9,646) |
| Top 5% | $49M (exactly $48,793,799) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 39 |
| Announced | 29 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 9505% on the market, supply 45% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Racing
- effort 6 / 10 · low · vehicle handling, track content and opponent AI
- Perma Death
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Racing, Perma Death; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Driving, Simulation, Automobile Sim
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 127,642 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Racing with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + CapitalismStrong odds
- + ModernFair
- + TransportationFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Grand StrategyFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + Time ManipulationFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Choices MatterFair
- + City BuilderLong shot
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | My Summer Car | $14.99 | 108,503 94% | 3.3M | $49M (exactly $48,793,799) | Amistech Games | |
| | My Winter Car | · EA | $14.99 | 18,614 94% | 558k | $8.4M (exactly $8,370,716) | Amistech Games |
| | Race The Sun | older | $9.99 | 1,974 93% | 59k | $592k (exactly $591,608) | Flippfly LLC |
| | Death Roads: Tournament | older | $14.99 | 729 80% | 22k | $328k (exactly $327,831) | The Knights of Unity |
| | Exo Rally Championship | $24.99 | 374 90% | 11k | $280k (exactly $280,388) | Exbleative | |
| | Gearshifters | older | $24.99 | 85 80% | 2.6k | $64k (exactly $63,724) | Red Phantom Games |
| | An Other Golf Game | · EA | $6.99 | 46 86% | 1.4k | $9.6k (exactly $9,646) | waxycaps |
| | Bike Rush | older | $4.99 | 61 44% | 1.8k | $9.1k (exactly $9,132) | Axyos Games |
| | Jones On Fire | older | $2.99 | 89 80% | 2.7k | $8.0k (exactly $7,983) | Glass Bottom Games |
| | Adopted Passion Realize Your Dream | · EA older | $19.99 | 12 66% | 360 | $7.2k (exactly $7,196) | fabolous_lux |
| | Synthwave Dream '85 | $3.99 | 48 100% | 1.4k | $5.7k (exactly $5,746) | LoneDev | |
| | Lazy Climbers | $4.99 | 35 68% | 1.1k | $5.2k (exactly $5,240) | Cool Car Studio | |
| | Faster Bunnies | $9.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | Triple Cerberus Studios | |
| | HelmetFire | $0.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $148 (exactly $148) | Snick Developments | |
| | Phantom Break | $0.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $89 (exactly $89) | AA Mini Games Studio | |
| | 太和的疯狂农场 Taihe's Crazy Farm | $1.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | 太和独游匠 |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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