Do I ship it?

GamesStrategyStrategy + Superhero

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Superhero Strategy game?

Strategy + Superhero

Of 20 developers who shipped a Superhero Strategy 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.. 27 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $240, ×0.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60. 27 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper, while revenue is up 105% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 105% on the market, 27 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy + Superhero
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.3k → $89 → $4.2k → $210 → $8.6k → $3.4k (still earning) → $240 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy + Superhero: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $240 (exactly $240)
Top 25% $8.6k (exactly $8,635)
Top 5% $157M (exactly $157,109,213)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 99
Announced 27
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 105% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Strategy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Superhero
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Strategy; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Tower Defense, Visual Novel
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Stylized
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 97% positive over 174,993 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $240, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $150M.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Strategy with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds50 devs · median $65k · 27 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair62 devs · median $16k · 74 announced
  3. + BaseballFair14 devs · median $7.5k · 7 announced
  4. + LGBTQ+Fair89 devs · median $6.7k · 91 announced
  5. + WuxiaFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 41 announced
  6. + FarmingFair44 devs · median $4.3k · 42 announced
  7. + Martial ArtsFair81 devs · median $3.0k · 94 announced
  8. + SubmarineFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 23 announced
  9. + NavalFair66 devs · median $2.2k · 88 announced
  10. + IdlerFair696 devs · median $1.9k · 988 announced
  11. + Shop KeeperFair159 devs · median $1.8k · 264 announced
  12. + HackingFair96 devs · median $1.2k · 132 announced

All 275 pairs on the Strategy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Dispatch $29.99 174,624 97% 5.2M $157M (exactly $157,109,213) AdHoc Studio
Batman™: Arkham Knight older $19.99 111,190 92% 3.3M $67M (exactly $66,680,643) Rocksteady Studios
Marvel's Midnight Suns older $59.99 17,060 82% 512k $31M (exactly $30,702,882) Firaxis Games
Chroma Squad older $14.99 2,913 95% 87k $1.3M (exactly $1,309,976) Behold Studios
Sairento VR older $29.99 1,448 86% 43k $1.3M (exactly $1,302,766) Mixed Realms Pte Ltd, Swag Soft Holding… (Mixed Realms Pte Ltd, Swag Soft Holdings Pte Ltd)
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure older $19.99 1,941 80% 58k $1.2M (exactly $1,164,018) 5th Cell Media
Capes older $39.99 446 67% 13k $535k (exactly $535,066) Spitfire Interactive
Sentinels of the Multiverse older $9.99 1,201 92% 36k $360k (exactly $359,940) Handelabra Games Inc.
X-Angels older $10.99 614 89% 18k $202k (exactly $202,436) Barance Studio
Sentinels of Freedom older $24.99 169 66% 5.1k $127k (exactly $126,699) Underbite Games
Nova Hearts $19.99 84 67% 2.5k $50k (exactly $50,375) Lightbulb Crew
STARVAULT VR $24.99 66 89% 2.0k $49k (exactly $49,480) Theia Games
Ghosts Keep Out $3.99 130 75% 3.9k $16k (exactly $15,561) Only Fun Games
Bullet: Surge $15.99 18 94% 540 $8.6k (exactly $8,635) Cerbere Games
Doom Survivor: Horde Rush $2.99 38 86% 1.1k $3.4k (exactly $3,409) Crazy Studio
Cowboy Busy: Mowdown $3.99 25 84% 750 $3.0k (exactly $2,992) Only Fun Games
Sentinel Point Heroes · EA $10.99 6 100% 180 $2.0k (exactly $1,978) Jellybane
FULL BET - FIGHTING CASINO - $19.99 1 100% 30 $600 (exactly $600) FlatMountain
Call of Heroes: Tower Defense $14.99 1 0% 30 $450 (exactly $450) Bakart Games - Rômulo

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