Should I ship a PvE Real-Time game?
PvE + Real-Time
Only 10 developers shipped a PvE Real-Time 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, Task Force Admiral - Vol.1: American Carrier Battles, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $20k, ×32 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $9.0k; 1 in 20 cleared $750k, ×1209 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 24 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $9.0k (exactly $8,992) |
|---|---|
| Median | $20k (exactly $19,787) |
| Top 25% | $28k (exactly $28,058) |
| Top 5% | $759k (exactly $759,410) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 10 |
| Released games | 35 |
| Announced | 24 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 20%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- PvE, Real-Time
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 9 games average 88% positive over 973 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $9.0k. 24 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvE with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Dating SimFair
- + IdlerFair
- + MinigamesFair
- + TypingFair
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + HeistPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + NavalPoor odds
- + SpaceshipsPoor odds
- + MarsPoor odds
- + DinosaursPoor odds
Comparable games
Sins of a Solar Empire II 2024 · $11M 
Task Force Admiral - Vol.1: American Carrier Battles 2026 · EA · $759k 
Godsworn 2024 · EA · $724k 
Nevergrind Online 2024 · $586k 
S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster 2019 · $305k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sins of a Solar Empire II | older | $49.99 | 7,147 83% | 214k | $11M (exactly $10,718,356) | Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock En… (Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock Entertainment) |
| | Task Force Admiral - Vol.1: American Carrier Battles | · EA | $39.99 | 633 87% | 19k | $759k (exactly $759,410) | Drydock Dreams Games |
| | Godsworn | · EA older | $29.99 | 805 93% | 24k | $724k (exactly $724,258) | Thunderoak Interactive |
| | Nevergrind Online | older | $15.99 | 1,221 86% | 37k | $586k (exactly $585,714) | Neverworks Games |
| | S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster | older | $9.99 | 1,017 93% | 31k | $305k (exactly $304,795) | Kite Games |
 | Ikki Unite | older | $11.99 | 674 77% | 20k | $242k (exactly $242,438) | SUNSOFT |
 | Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity® | older | $9.99 | 687 78% | 21k | $206k (exactly $205,894) | Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock En… (Ironclad Games Corporation, Stardock Entertainment) |
 | Siege of Centauri | older | $14.99 | 350 64% | 11k | $157k (exactly $157,395) | Stardock Entertainment |
 | Dust Fleet | older | $19.99 | 193 76% | 5.8k | $116k (exactly $115,742) | Orbiting Disco |
 | Band of Defenders | older | $9.99 | 313 48% | 9.4k | $94k (exactly $93,806) | Alda Games |
 | MORSE | $13.99 | 124 93% | 3.7k | $52k (exactly $52,043) | ALJO Games | |
 | Gem Miner TD | $12.99 | 72 97% | 2.2k | $28k (exactly $28,058) | iFeral Games | |
 | Combat Directive : Napoleonic Wars | $19.99 | 36 88% | 1.1k | $22k (exactly $21,589) | Fatice Games | |
 | Stardust Exile | $14.99 | 44 70% | 1.3k | $20k (exactly $19,787) | Apseren | |
 | Fleetbreakers | · EA | $14.99 | 25 96% | 750 | $11k (exactly $11,242) | Last Keep |
 | Eclipse Breaker | $11.99 | 25 96% | 750 | $9.0k (exactly $8,992) | Lunar Workshop, Jorge Rodriguez | |
 | Warsong | · EA | $14.99 | 10 70% | 300 | $4.5k (exactly $4,497) | Windforce |
 | Reverse Survivors | $3.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $479 (exactly $479) | Holiver Studios | |
 | Edge Of Extinction | $4.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Azulon Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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