Should I ship a PvP Runner?
PvP + Runner
Of 66 developers who shipped a PvP Runner 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.. 100 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $540, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60. 100 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper, while revenue is down 25% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $60 (exactly $60) |
|---|---|
| Median | $539 (exactly $539) |
| Top 25% | $1.9k (exactly $1,867) |
| Top 5% | $20k (exactly $19,791) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 66 |
| Released games | 219 |
| Announced | 100 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 25% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 26%, 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
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP, Runner; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Racing, Arcade
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Cute, Funny
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 972 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $60. 8 in 10 of the 52 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 100 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + BaseballFair
- + TransportationFair
- + BasketballFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + BikesFair
- + GolfFair
- + World War IFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + BilliardsFair
- + TennisLong shot
- + TypingLong shot
- + SpellingLong shot
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | TrackDayR | · EA older | $24.99 | 2,213 86% | 66k | $1.7M (exactly $1,659,086) | MadCow S.r.l. |
| | DeathSprint 66 | older | $19.99 | 495 83% | 15k | $297k (exactly $296,852) | Sumo Digital |
| | Panoptic | older | $16.99 | 281 96% | 8.4k | $143k (exactly $143,226) | Team Panoptes |
| | Rocket Boots Mania | $14.99 | 229 99% | 6.9k | $103k (exactly $102,981) | Luma Play | |
| | HerrAnwalt: Lawyers Legacy | · EA older | $5.99 | 471 78% | 14k | $85k (exactly $84,639) | Yannick |
| | No More Rainbows | older | $19.99 | 120 90% | 3.6k | $72k (exactly $71,964) | Squido Studio, Robot Teddy |
| | Jelly Bubble | $9.99 | 170 99% | 5.1k | $51k (exactly $50,949) | BINGOBELL | |
| | NiuMa | $5.99 | 263 91% | 7.9k | $47k (exactly $47,261) | Game Star | |
| | Hot Lap Racing | older | $29.99 | 51 64% | 1.5k | $46k (exactly $45,885) | Zero Games Studios |
| | Parkour Tag | older | $7.99 | 170 87% | 5.1k | $41k (exactly $40,749) | Loopnova Studio |
| | Hashire HEBEREKE: EX | $21.99 | 30 100% | 900 | $20k (exactly $19,791) | CRT GAMES | |
| | HoloRun | $4.99 | 76 57% | 2.3k | $11k (exactly $11,377) | Pixfox | |
| | DRAFTYCAR 2 | · EA | $14.99 | 24 95% | 720 | $11k (exactly $10,793) | Speedway Labs |
| | Drunk Builder Simulator | $2.99 | 78 39% | 2.3k | $7.0k (exactly $6,997) | Viper | |
| | EvoWars: New Era | $8.99 | 25 72% | 750 | $6.7k (exactly $6,742) | Night Steed Games | |
| | Synthwave Dream '85 | $3.99 | 48 100% | 1.4k | $5.7k (exactly $5,746) | LoneDev | |
| | 4 Rush Together | $4.99 | 29 86% | 870 | $4.3k (exactly $4,341) | Honglizi |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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