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Should I ship a PvP Tactical RPG?
PvP + Tactical RPG
Of 63 developers who shipped a paid PvP Tactical RPG 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.. 4 in 10 of the games here are free to play and sit outside these figures. 180 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $900, ×0.6 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150. 180 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper, while revenue is flat on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $899 (exactly $899) |
| Top 25% | $13k (exactly $12,587) |
| Top 5% | $73k (exactly $73,127) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 63 |
| Released games | 236 |
| Announced | 180 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 42%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- PvP
- effort 8 / 10 · low · authoritative servers, latency compensation, cheating
- Tactical RPG
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP, Tactical RPG; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Turn-Based Tactics, Strategy, RPG
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 4,187 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 57 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 180 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
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Comparable games
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition 2017 · $244M 
Armello 2015 · $8.3M 
Disciples: Liberation 2021 · $3.2M 
Wargroove 2019 · $2.4M 
Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies 2024 · $1.9M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition | older | $44.99 | 180,782 95% | 5.4M | $244M (exactly $244,001,465) | Larian Studios |
| | Armello | older | $24.99 | 11,013 82% | 330k | $8.3M (exactly $8,256,446) | League of Geeks |
| | Disciples: Liberation | older | $39.99 | 2,706 73% | 81k | $3.2M (exactly $3,246,388) | Frima Studio |
| | Wargroove | older | $19.99 | 4,015 83% | 120k | $2.4M (exactly $2,407,796) | Chucklefish |
| | Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies | older | $7.99 | 7,792 91% | 234k | $1.9M (exactly $1,867,742) | Striped Panda Studios |
 | Necromunda: Underhive Wars | older | $19.99 | 2,706 56% | 81k | $1.6M (exactly $1,622,788) | Rogue Factor |
 | Warhammer Underworlds - Shadespire Edition (Classic) | older | $29.99 | 1,059 70% | 32k | $953k (exactly $952,782) | Steel Sky Productions, Tin Man Games |
 | Oaken Tower | · EA | $9.99 | 3,024 89% | 91k | $906k (exactly $906,293) | Bocary Studios |
 | Headquarters: World War II | older | $39.99 | 508 74% | 15k | $609k (exactly $609,448) | Starni Games |
 | Swords and Sandals Immortals | older | $11.99 | 1,056 84% | 32k | $380k (exactly $379,843) | Whiskeybarrel Studios |
 | Glorious Companions | $19.99 | 182 61% | 5.5k | $109k (exactly $109,145) | Ancient Forge | |
 | Pennon and Battle | $18.99 | 175 69% | 5.3k | $100k (exactly $99,697) | PB Studio | |
 | Water Margin Scrolls | $9.99 | 244 40% | 7.3k | $73k (exactly $73,127) | QingHe Games | |
 | Silent North | · EA | $19.99 | 100 29% | 3.0k | $60k (exactly $59,970) | Combat Waffle Studios |
 | Skygard Arena | $14.99 | 93 77% | 2.8k | $42k (exactly $41,822) | Gemelli Games | |
 | Draw Steel | · EA | $19.99 | 67 98% | 2.0k | $40k (exactly $40,180) | Verisim, MCDM |
 | Athena Crisis | $9.99 | 127 77% | 3.8k | $38k (exactly $38,062) | Nakazawa Tech | |
 | Danmo Three Kingdoms: Battle of Wits | $11.99 | 82 76% | 2.5k | $29k (exactly $29,495) | 墨春秋 | |
 | Neuroshima Hex | $9.99 | 93 72% | 2.8k | $28k (exactly $27,872) | Baked Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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