Do I ship it?

GamesSouls-likeSouls-like + Strategy RPG

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Strategy RPG Souls-like?

Souls-like + Strategy RPG

Only 12 developers shipped a Strategy RPG Souls-like 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, Warhounds, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $720, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360. 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper, while revenue is down 80% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 80% on the market, 25 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Souls-like + Strategy RPG
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $239 → $8.6k → $7.2k → $88k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Souls-like + Strategy RPG: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $360 (exactly $360)
Median $719 (exactly $719)
Top 25% $20k (exactly $19,712)
Top 5% $772k (exactly $771,530)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 33
Announced 25
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $7.99

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 80% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Souls-like
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Strategy RPG
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Souls-like, Strategy RPG
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 1,084 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $720, 1 in 4 over $19k, 1 in 20 over $770k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds17 devs · median $34k · 8 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair13 devs · median $22k · 17 announced
  4. + JRPGFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  6. + PsychologicalFair17 devs · median $1.8k · 17 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerLong shot49 devs · median $776 · 46 announced
  9. + Score AttackLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  10. + WarPoor odds8 devs · median $451k · 22 announced
  11. + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds12 devs · median $88k · 21 announced
  12. + RomancePoor odds10 devs · median $35k · 16 announced

All 122 pairs on the Souls-like page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SCARLET NEXUS older $59.99 13,749 81% 412k $25M (exactly $24,744,075) BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
Warhounds $34.99 735 71% 22k $772k (exactly $771,530) Everplay DMCC
EdgeOfTheAbyssAwaken older $18.99 542 67% 16k $309k (exactly $308,777) TrinityBJ
Moon Corona · EA $13.99 210 82% 6.3k $88k (exactly $88,137) 不倒龙工作室, Budaolong Studio
Lust & Legends older $12.99 144 66% 4.3k $56k (exactly $56,117) Entropy Digital Entertainment
Another Crusade older $19.99 39 79% 1.2k $23k (exactly $23,388) Dragon Vein Studios
Bonelords $6.99 94 92% 2.8k $20k (exactly $19,712) Z0 Game Studios
Battle Craft older $17.99 16 81% 480 $8.6k (exactly $8,635) Yaremchuk
磨难之间 SUFFERING: Reincarnation of Sins · EA older $9.99 26 88% 780 $7.8k (exactly $7,792) KillZero Game
Lunera $14.99 16 43% 480 $7.2k (exactly $7,195) EN Games
Drowning Ashes · EA $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Elston Studios
The King of Assassins - The Kingdom $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Faith Studio Team, Rabie Mounther Haddad
Souls Inferno $4.99 4 75% 120 $599 (exactly $599) simulinati
Misery Avenue $3.99 4 100% 120 $479 (exactly $479) Miseryous Games
Arena $2.00 6 100% 180 $360 (exactly $360) 30 Minute Games
ASHOR · EA $2.00 1 0% 30 $60 (exactly $60) Nihat Toygar SAN

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.