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Should I ship a Sci-fi Tank game?
Tanks + Sci-fi
Of 24 developers who shipped a Sci-fi Tank game 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.. 60 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $540, ×0.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $89; 1 in 20 cleared $470k, ×757 the market median. Revenue is up 100% on the market; 60 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $89 (exactly $89) |
|---|---|
| Median | $539 (exactly $539) |
| Top 25% | $23k (exactly $22,904) |
| Top 5% | $476k (exactly $475,514) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 24 |
| Released games | 106 |
| Announced | 60 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 up 100% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Tanks; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Strategy, Shooter
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 3,996 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $89. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 60 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Tanks with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + HistoricalFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Turn-Based TacticsFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + Open WorldFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + RPGPoor odds
- + Turn-Based CombatPoor odds
- + Action RTSPoor odds
- + Real Time TacticsPoor odds
- + TacticalPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Phantom Brigade | older | $29.99 | 4,412 81% | 132k | $4.0M (exactly $3,969,476) | Brace Yourself Games |
| | SAND LAND | older | $59.99 | 1,018 86% | 31k | $1.8M (exactly $1,832,095) | ILCA, Inc. |
| | CUSTOM MECH WARS | older | $49.99 | 563 41% | 17k | $844k (exactly $844,331) | D3PUBLISHER |
| | FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake | older | $34.99 | 745 77% | 22k | $782k (exactly $782,026) | Forever Entertainment S. A. |
| | Model Builder: Complete Edition | older | $19.99 | 1,058 74% | 32k | $634k (exactly $634,483) | Moonlit S.A. |
| | Battlezone 98 Redux | older | $19.99 | 1,044 91% | 31k | $626k (exactly $626,087) | Big Boat Interactive |
| | TurretGirls | $9.99 | 1,882 85% | 56k | $564k (exactly $564,035) | NANAIRO ENTERPRISE | |
| | Battlezone: Combat Commander | older | $19.99 | 851 90% | 26k | $510k (exactly $510,345) | Big Boat Interactive |
| | FRONT MISSION 3: Remake | $34.99 | 453 74% | 14k | $476k (exactly $475,514) | MegaPixel Studio S.A. | |
| | Brigador Killers | · EA | $24.99 | 572 69% | 17k | $429k (exactly $428,828) | Stellar Jockeys, Gausswerks |
| | Mech Havoc | · EA | $9.99 | 813 96% | 24k | $244k (exactly $243,656) | Mid Development |
| | Tactical Annihilation | $15.99 | 56 98% | 1.7k | $27k (exactly $26,863) | B.G. Game Studio | |
| | BROTANK | $4.99 | 153 81% | 4.6k | $23k (exactly $22,904) | Dfirend Games | |
| | Tactical Warfare | $9.99 | 52 67% | 1.6k | $16k (exactly $15,584) | Mizrab | |
| | Oath of Steel | $18.99 | 4 0% | 120 | $2.3k (exactly $2,279) | Ling Jun | |
| | Battle Echoes | $6.99 | 7 85% | 210 | $1.5k (exactly $1,468) | rose may games | |
| | Mk50TWL Vehicle Battler Custom Slider | · EA | $4.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $599 (exactly $599) | TimberWoodLumber Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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