Do I ship it?

Games › Score Attack › Score Attack + Pirates

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Pirate Score Attack game?

Score Attack + Pirates

Only 12 developers shipped a Pirate Score Attack 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, Curse of Pirates, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 13 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×1.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $36k, ×58 the market median. Revenue is up 495% on the market; 13 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 495% on the market, 13 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Score Attack + Pirates
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Score Attack + Pirates: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $479 (exactly $479)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,198)
Top 25% $20k (exactly $20,390)
Top 5% $36k (exactly $36,264)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 28
Announced 13
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 495% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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.

Score Attack
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Pirates
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
Score Attack
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 269 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $480, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $36k.

3 in 10 developers made under $480. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 13 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Score Attack with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + MechsFair23 devs · median $6.2k · 24 announced
  2. + Spectacle fighterFair31 devs · median $4.3k · 29 announced
  3. + DragonsFair16 devs · median $2.1k · 11 announced
  4. + VampiresFair16 devs · median $1.7k · 14 announced
  5. + CookingFair28 devs · median $1.4k · 30 announced
  6. + SuperheroFair11 devs · median $1.3k · 5 announced
  7. + Female ProtagonistFair112 devs · median $1.2k · 104 announced
  8. + GolfFair11 devs · median $1.2k · 8 announced
  9. + GothicFair20 devs · median $959 · 14 announced
  10. + ModernFair53 devs · median $899 · 43 announced
  11. + Choose Your Own AdventureFair14 devs · median $898 · 11 announced
  12. + UndergroundFair23 devs · median $748 · 18 announced

All 200 pairs on the Score Attack page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Only Up ! 2024 · $45k Curse of Pirates 2026 · $36k Racket Pinball 2026 · $22k Vendetta Forever 2025 · $20k Only Up! 1 2023 · $15k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Only Up ! older $6.99 216 26% 6.5k $45k (exactly $45,295) WGI GAMING
Curse of Pirates $9.99 121 80% 3.6k $36k (exactly $36,264) Funky Parrot
Racket Pinball $19.99 37 91% 1.1k $22k (exactly $22,189) NiVision
Vendetta Forever $19.99 34 76% 1.0k $20k (exactly $20,390) Meatspace Interactive
Only Up! 1 older $4.99 101 42% 3.0k $15k (exactly $15,120) WGI GAMING, WGI GAMING
Ocean Survivors $3.49 38 97% 1.1k $4.0k (exactly $3,979) Aremji Games
Lord O' Pirates $4.99 21 85% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) One Flow Man
Country Discoverer older $7.99 12 100% 360 $2.9k (exactly $2,876) goatrope games
Shell Shuffle · EA older $9.99 8 87% 240 $2.4k (exactly $2,398) Victorian Clambake
Cosmoblaster Exodia older $4.99 13 76% 390 $1.9k (exactly $1,946) AstroAssault Creations
Only Up 3 $4.99 8 62% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) WGI GAMING
Cool Game Pack $4.99 6 100% 180 $898 (exactly $898) COOL 2 Interactive
Pinball Jam $19.99 1 100% 30 $600 (exactly $600) Super PowerUp Games
Blackbeard's Treasure $7.99 2 100% 60 $479 (exactly $479) SAT-BOX
Tennis Antics $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Pure Entertainment

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