Games › Twin Stick Shooter › Twin Stick Shooter + Post-apocalyptic
Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Twin Stick Shooter?
Twin Stick Shooter + Post-apocalyptic
Of 30 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic Twin Stick Shooter 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.. 70 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×4.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $75k, ×120 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 70 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $539 (exactly $539) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,998) |
| Top 25% | $21k (exactly $20,614) |
| Top 5% | $76k (exactly $75,602) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 123 |
| Announced | 70 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 15% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Twin Stick Shooter
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Post-apocalyptic
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Twin Stick Shooter; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, Roguelite
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics, Top-Down, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 75% positive over 1,322 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 70 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Twin Stick Shooter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + Looter ShooterPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
- + Tower DefensePoor odds
- + MedievalPoor odds
- + LootPoor odds
- + Action RPGPoor odds
- + Dark FantasyPoor odds
- + RPGPoor odds
- + 2D FighterPoor odds
- + DestructionPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Bastion | older | $14.99 | 28,223 95% | 847k | $13M (exactly $12,691,883) | Supergiant Games |
| | Nuclear Throne | older | $11.99 | 15,047 96% | 451k | $5.4M (exactly $5,412,406) | Vlambeer |
| | Rusted Moss | older | $19.99 | 1,575 88% | 47k | $945k (exactly $944,527) | Emlise, happysquared, sunnydaze |
| | Crimsonland | older | $13.99 | 2,107 94% | 63k | $884k (exactly $884,308) | 10tons Ltd |
| | Lumencraft | older | $19.99 | 1,086 75% | 33k | $651k (exactly $651,274) | 2Dynamic Games |
| | Insect Swarm | older | $6.99 | 2,491 84% | 75k | $522k (exactly $522,363) | Parallel Portal |
| | Decision: Red Daze | older | $19.99 | 855 74% | 26k | $513k (exactly $512,743) | FlyAnvil |
| | Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now | older | $6.99 | 2,098 89% | 63k | $440k (exactly $439,951) | Dreamworlds |
| | Kill The Crows | older | $4.99 | 2,848 95% | 85k | $426k (exactly $426,346) | 5minlab Corp. |
| | CYGNI: All Guns Blazing | older | $29.99 | 448 60% | 13k | $403k (exactly $403,066) | KeelWorks |
| | The Ember Guardian | $19.99 | 278 82% | 8.3k | $167k (exactly $166,717) | Ratbit Games | |
| | Odinfall | · EA | $12.99 | 194 82% | 5.8k | $76k (exactly $75,602) | Ember Paw Games |
| | 9th Sentinel Sisters | $7.99 | 273 69% | 8.2k | $65k (exactly $65,438) | Live Wire | |
| | Survivor Mercs | $9.99 | 147 70% | 4.4k | $44k (exactly $44,056) | Wolpertinger Games | |
| | Where the forest ends | $9.99 | 132 68% | 4.0k | $40k (exactly $39,560) | MonkeyBassGames | |
| | Driveloop: Survivors | · EA | $9.99 | 96 76% | 2.9k | $29k (exactly $28,771) | Stunbyte |
| | Ammo and Oxygen | $14.99 | 53 64% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $23,834) | Juvty Worlds | |
| | SCAD | · EA | $7.99 | 86 76% | 2.6k | $21k (exactly $20,614) | NAISU |
| | RoadOut | $14.99 | 34 97% | 1.0k | $15k (exactly $15,290) | Rastrolabs Game Studio | |
| | M.O.O.D.S. | $12.99 | 29 82% | 870 | $11k (exactly $11,301) | StickyStoneStudio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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