Games › Shoot 'Em Up › Shoot 'Em Up + Spaceships
Should I ship a Spaceship Shoot 'Em Up?
Shoot 'Em Up + Spaceships
Only 19 developers shipped a Spaceship Shoot 'Em Up 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, Reality Break, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 19 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 19 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $89 (exactly $89) |
|---|---|
| Median | $239 (exactly $239) |
| Top 25% | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) |
| Top 5% | $512k (exactly $512,045) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 19 |
| Released games | 49 |
| Announced | 19 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 50% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 2%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Shoot 'Em Up
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Spaceships
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Shoot 'Em Up; all of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Shooter
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2.5D, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 81% positive over 788 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $89. 9 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 19 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Shoot 'Em Up with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FaithFair
- + RomanceFair
- + VampiresFair
- + Quick-Time EventsFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + Resource ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + SwordplayLong shot
- + MusicPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
Comparable games
Reality Break 2025 · $512k 
Power of Ten 2023 · $89k 
Psycho Starship Rampage 2015 · $38k 
Astral Gunners 2024 · $22k 
XIIZEAL 2015 · $21k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Reality Break | $24.99 | 683 80% | 20k | $512k (exactly $512,045) | Element Games, LLC | |
| | Power of Ten | older | $11.99 | 248 79% | 7.4k | $89k (exactly $89,206) | Pew Times Three |
| | Psycho Starship Rampage | older | $9.99 | 128 83% | 3.8k | $38k (exactly $38,362) | Ballistic Frogs |
| | Astral Gunners | older | $19.99 | 36 100% | 1.1k | $22k (exactly $21,589) | Sati Bros |
| | XIIZEAL | older | $11.99 | 59 88% | 1.8k | $21k (exactly $21,222) | TRIANGLE SERVICE |
 | Curved Space | older | $19.99 | 24 95% | 720 | $14k (exactly $14,393) | Only By Midnight Ltd. |
 | Emerald Blue | $9.99 | 43 100% | 1.3k | $13k (exactly $12,887) | Emerald Blue Team | |
 | Terra Flame | older | $14.99 | 27 96% | 810 | $12k (exactly $12,142) | TERARIN GAMES |
 | SUPERVERSE | $9.99 | 37 70% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,089) | Superverse Industries | |
 | ZAKESTA-Z | older | $4.99 | 45 100% | 1.4k | $6.7k (exactly $6,736) | zakichi |
 | VectaGuard | $12.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $2.3k (exactly $2,338) | RetroNinja | |
 | Space Defender | · EA | $9.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $1.8k (exactly $1,798) | Petit Vaisseau |
 | Timeloop Titans | $9.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | LapaGames | |
 | I Made Myself a Ship | $5.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $539 (exactly $539) | Draih | |
 | Unknown Hero | $4.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | Svero Forge | |
 | Spaceship Pro Simulator | · EA | $8.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $270 (exactly $270) | Hard Shark Games |
 | Last Star | $3.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $239 (exactly $239) | Nordman |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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