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Should I ship a Pirate Turn-Based Strategy?
Turn-Based Strategy + Pirates
Of 20 developers who shipped a Pirate Turn-Based Strategy in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 36 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×5.2 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $850k, ×1368 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 36 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $899 (exactly $899) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.3k (exactly $3,293) |
| Top 25% | $47k (exactly $47,218) |
| Top 5% | $859k (exactly $859,214) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 45 |
| Announced | 36 |
| 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 down 95% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Turn-Based Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium 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
- Turn-Based Strategy; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics
- Price point
- $11.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Hand-drawn, Isometric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 2,132 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 7 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 36 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Turn-Based Strategy with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + Cold WarFair
- + RomeFair
- + LootFair
- + MiningFair
- + DwarvesFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + TanksFair
- + SokobanFair
- + Top-Down ShooterFair
- + SpaceFair
Comparable games
Rogue Waters 2024 · $859k 
Horizon's Gate 2020 · $727k 
Pirates Outlaws 2020 · $429k 
Braveland Pirate 2015 · $252k 
Dead Weight 2026 · $224k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rogue Waters | $29.99 | 955 75% | 29k | $859k (exactly $859,214) | Ice Code Games | |
| | Horizon's Gate | older | $19.99 | 1,213 94% | 36k | $727k (exactly $727,436) | Rad Codex |
| | Pirates Outlaws | older | $19.99 | 715 80% | 21k | $429k (exactly $428,785) | Fabled Game |
| | Braveland Pirate | older | $19.99 | 421 87% | 13k | $252k (exactly $252,474) | Tortuga Team |
| | Dead Weight | $12.99 | 575 82% | 17k | $224k (exactly $224,078) | Klukva Games | |
 | High Seas, High Profits! | $14.99 | 165 86% | 5.0k | $74k (exactly $74,200) | lexy.zip | |
 | Flint: Treasure of Oblivion | $24.99 | 92 51% | 2.8k | $69k (exactly $68,972) | Savage Level | |
 | Pirates Outlaws 2: Heritage | · EA | $14.99 | 105 60% | 3.2k | $47k (exactly $47,218) | Fabled Game |
 | Void Marauders | $13.99 | 106 77% | 3.2k | $44k (exactly $44,488) | Autarca | |
 | Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire | $24.99 | 45 64% | 1.4k | $34k (exactly $33,736) | Octeto Studios | |
 | Red Rogue Sea | $16.99 | 53 64% | 1.6k | $27k (exactly $27,014) | Firemage Studios | |
 | Sunken Stones | $11.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $5.0k (exactly $5,036) | Spritewrench | |
 | Treasure's Mine! | $4.99 | 22 100% | 660 | $3.3k (exactly $3,293) | FatFishGame |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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