Games › Shoot 'Em Up › Shoot 'Em Up + Pirates
Should I ship a Pirate Shoot 'Em Up?
Shoot 'Em Up + Pirates
Only 9 developers shipped a Pirate Shoot 'Em Up 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, Vendetta Forever, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 8 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $270, ×0.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50. Revenue is down 40% on the market, with 8 games announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $269 (exactly $269) |
| Top 25% | $776 (exactly $776) |
| Top 5% | $20k (exactly $20,390) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 31 |
| Announced | 8 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $2.99 |
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 40% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Shoot 'Em Up
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Pirates
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Shoot 'Em Up
- Price point
- $2.99 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 $17.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 206 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Shoot 'Em Up with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FaithFair
- + RomanceFair
- + VampiresFair
- + Quick-Time EventsFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + Resource ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + SwordplayLong shot
- + MusicPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
Comparable games
Vendetta Forever 2025 · $20k 
Antiprism 2021 · $8.6k 
Coffin Rot Brewing Co. 2020 · $6.6k 
Ruiga Pirates 2024 · EA · $5.7k 
Salt and Sails 2021 · $3.3k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Vendetta Forever | $19.99 | 34 76% | 1.0k | $20k (exactly $20,390) | Meatspace Interactive | |
| | Antiprism | older | $17.99 | 16 81% | 480 | $8.6k (exactly $8,635) | Zero Fun |
| | Coffin Rot Brewing Co. | older | $4.99 | 44 79% | 1.3k | $6.6k (exactly $6,587) | Nooner Bear Studio LLC |
| | Ruiga Pirates | · EA older | $4.99 | 38 57% | 1.1k | $5.7k (exactly $5,689) | Valentware Games LTD |
| | Salt and Sails | older | $9.99 | 11 90% | 330 | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) | DiaMMax |
 | Boaty Tanks 2 | older | $9.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $2.7k (exactly $2,697) | EpiXR Games UG |
 | XALADIA: Rise of the Space Pirates X2 | older | $17.99 | 4 25% | 120 | $2.2k (exactly $2,159) | ACQUIRE Corp. |
 | Interstellar Plunderer | older | $4.99 | 14 92% | 420 | $2.1k (exactly $2,096) | Cozy Frog Games |
 | Captain Puff MacFly | $2.99 | 23 95% | 690 | $2.1k (exactly $2,063) | MVCAO Studios | |
 | Cosmoblaster Exodia | older | $4.99 | 13 76% | 390 | $1.9k (exactly $1,946) | AstroAssault Creations |
 | Island of Challenge | $1.99 | 13 92% | 390 | $776 (exactly $776) | Doorway Mountain Studios | |
 | Lost Soul of the Missing Island | $9.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $599 (exactly $599) | CDIS Lab. | |
 | Pirates of Gravitae | $2.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $269 (exactly $269) | Innerverse Games | |
 | Vampirates | $2.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $269 (exactly $269) | Abonneer | |
 | ScareCrow Hunting VR | $2.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Pottery Bridge Studio | |
 | Pirate Platoon | $3.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Gamma Games LLC | |
 | Cutlass Quest | $29.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Hinm |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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