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Should I ship an Underground PvP game?
PvP + Underground
Only 16 developers shipped an Underground PvP 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, Last Train Outta' Wormtown, 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, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $150 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 24 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $150 (exactly $150) |
| Top 25% | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) |
| Top 5% | $523k (exactly $522,644) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 42 |
| Announced | 24 |
| 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 30% on the market, supply 120% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 31%, 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
- Underground
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Co-op, Destruction
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Comedy, Cartoony
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 9 games average 96% positive over 1,510 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different setting or mood, 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
Last Train Outta' Wormtown 2025 · $523k 
Hashiriya Drifter-Online Drift Racing Multiplayer (DRIFT/DRAG/RACING) 2020 · $80k 
Golazo! 2 2022 · $49k 
Drift Reign 2023 · $8.4k 
Jelly Troops 2025 · $5.9k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Last Train Outta' Wormtown | $11.99 | 1,453 96% | 44k | $523k (exactly $522,644) | Get(Color) Games | |
| | Hashiriya Drifter-Online Drift Racing Multiplayer (DRIFT/DRAG/RACING) | older | $1.99 | 1,337 68% | 40k | $80k (exactly $79,819) | Midnight Games |
| | Golazo! 2 | older | $14.99 | 109 77% | 3.3k | $49k (exactly $49,017) | Purple Tree S R L |
| | Drift Reign | older | $5.99 | 47 55% | 1.4k | $8.4k (exactly $8,446) | PublishMe Agency Limited |
| | Jelly Troops | $8.99 | 22 90% | 660 | $5.9k (exactly $5,933) | Nukenin | |
 | Grapplers: Relic Rivals | older | $13.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $5.0k (exactly $5,036) | Ally Productions LLC |
 | Mineral Madness | $7.99 | 11 90% | 330 | $2.6k (exactly $2,637) | Whacky Mole Studio | |
 | Lost Souls | · EA older | $6.99 | 11 63% | 330 | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) | Vitaliy Tyschenko |
 | RaceWorms | $5.49 | 10 100% | 300 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | Team Zandt | |
 | Dig Deep: Race To The Core! | older | $19.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | Deluded Inc |
 | Grave Stakes | · EA | $2.99 | 9 44% | 270 | $807 (exactly $807) | Wild West Games |
 | Mineshaft | · EA | $7.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $479 (exactly $479) | Z Sculpt Entertainment |
 | Moondrills | $4.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $150 (exactly $150) | QnQ Games | |
 | Bulletball | $4.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $150 (exactly $150) | Crosscades | |
 | Worm Life | $1.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $60 (exactly $60) | BefuddleBug | |
 | Traxion 2 | $4.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Play With Fire UG |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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