Do I ship it?

GamesPerma DeathPerma Death + Steampunk

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Steampunk Perma Death game?

Perma Death + Steampunk

Only 7 developers shipped a Steampunk Perma Death 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, Demiurges, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 15 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $4.7k, ×7.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.2k; 1 in 20 cleared $16k, ×26 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 15 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.4 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 15 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Perma Death + Steampunk
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 7

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Perma Death + Steampunk: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 7
Bottom 30% $2.2k (exactly $2,156)
Median $4.7k (exactly $4,676)
Top 25% $15k (exactly $14,748)
Top 5% $16k (exactly $16,189)
Developers, 2 yr 7
Released games 27
Announced 15
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $11.99

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 500% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Perma Death
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Steampunk
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Perma Death
Price point
$11.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

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 $17.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 70% positive over 1,886 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.2k, median $4.7k, 1 in 4 over $14k, 1 in 20 over $16k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.2k. 15 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Perma Death with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + LGBTQ+Strong odds15 devs · median $55k · 7 announced
  2. + Turn-BasedFair49 devs · median $10k · 57 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair65 devs · median $8.1k · 66 announced
  4. + Creature CollectorFair30 devs · median $5.3k · 33 announced
  5. + Mystery DungeonFair27 devs · median $2.7k · 29 announced
  6. + PiratesFair11 devs · median $2.1k · 14 announced
  7. + Traditional RoguelikeFair49 devs · median $1.8k · 55 announced
  8. + Interactive FictionFair27 devs · median $959 · 28 announced
  9. + Precision PlatformerFair46 devs · median $719 · 31 announced
  10. + Time ManagementFair49 devs · median $539 · 66 announced
  11. + Visual NovelFair21 devs · median $538 · 18 announced
  12. + 3D PlatformerFair36 devs · median $537 · 36 announced

All 164 pairs on the Perma Death page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Ironcast older $14.99 774 72% 23k $348k (exactly $348,068) Dreadbit
Mind older $17.99 372 69% 11k $201k (exactly $200,768) WHIRLLAXY LIMITED
Steam Marines older $19.99 219 52% 6.6k $131k (exactly $131,334) Worthless Bums
AIRHEART - Tales of broken Wings older $14.99 128 81% 3.8k $58k (exactly $57,562) Blindflug Studios AG
Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime · EA older $14.99 119 80% 3.6k $54k (exactly $53,514) Spiritus Games
Hunters Of The Dead older $4.99 123 64% 3.7k $18k (exactly $18,413) Traptics
Demiurges $14.99 36 88% 1.1k $16k (exactly $16,189) Berih
Reclaim The Sea $11.99 41 75% 1.2k $15k (exactly $14,748) 1LastGame
Gunmetal Arcadia older $9.99 44 75% 1.3k $13k (exactly $13,187) Minor Key Games
Words of Yendor older $7.99 30 83% 900 $7.2k (exactly $7,191) SandorHQ
Vehicle No. 4 $6.99 23 86% 690 $4.8k (exactly $4,823) indiejoh
Cloudbreaker $12.99 12 91% 360 $4.7k (exactly $4,676) Ballast Games
Rogue Runner $5.99 12 91% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) 42nd Machine
The Great Smog · EA $12.99 2 50% 60 $779 (exactly $779) JFi Games
Cogfall $2.99 1 0% 30 $90 (exactly $90) Nodding Panda Studios

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