Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Time Management
Should I ship a Time Management Strategy RPG?
Strategy RPG + Time Management
Of 72 developers who shipped a Time Management Strategy RPG 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.. 98 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×2.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×264 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 98 games are announced against 41 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,619) |
| Top 25% | $20k (exactly $19,780) |
| Top 5% | $166k (exactly $165,688) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 72 |
| Released games | 167 |
| Announced | 98 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 60% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Strategy RPG
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Time Management
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy RPG, Time Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, RPG, Simulation
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 29,055 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 7 in 10 of the 38 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 98 games are announced against 41 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SportsFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Bullet HellFair
- + EconomyFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + ConspiracyFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
Comparable games
Metaphor: ReFantazio 2024 · $53M 
Loop Hero 2021 · $15M 
BOOK OF HOURS 2023 · $3.1M 
Punch Club 2: Fast Forward 2023 · $2.3M 
Crossroads Inn Anniversary Edition 2019 · $1.6M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Metaphor: ReFantazio | $69.99 | 25,224 89% | 757k | $53M (exactly $52,962,833) | ATLUS | |
| | Loop Hero | older | $14.99 | 33,816 92% | 1.0M | $15M (exactly $15,207,055) | Four Quarters |
| | BOOK OF HOURS | older | $24.99 | 4,129 89% | 124k | $3.1M (exactly $3,095,511) | Weather Factory |
| | Punch Club 2: Fast Forward | older | $19.99 | 3,808 81% | 114k | $2.3M (exactly $2,283,658) | Lazy Bear Games |
| | Crossroads Inn Anniversary Edition | older | $14.99 | 3,579 55% | 107k | $1.6M (exactly $1,609,476) | Klabater |
 | Retirement Simulator | · EA older | $13.99 | 3,757 34% | 113k | $1.6M (exactly $1,576,813) | DoubleThink Studio |
 | No Time to Relax | older | $13.99 | 2,486 92% | 75k | $1.0M (exactly $1,043,374) | Porcelain Fortress |
 | Siege Survival: Gloria Victis | older | $24.99 | 1,367 79% | 41k | $1.0M (exactly $1,024,840) | Black Eye Games |
 | One Military Camp | older | $24.99 | 684 75% | 21k | $513k (exactly $512,795) | Abylight Barcelona |
 | 道衍诀 | · EA older | $11.99 | 988 49% | 30k | $355k (exactly $355,384) | 宁德动游网络科技有限公司 |
 | Medieval Crafter: Blacksmith | $11.99 | 745 76% | 22k | $268k (exactly $267,976) | Compact Core Games | |
 | 万象群侠传 | $8.99 | 853 85% | 26k | $230k (exactly $230,054) | 火天工作室 | |
 | This Grand Life 2 | $17.99 | 307 88% | 9.2k | $166k (exactly $165,688) | Poking Water Games | |
 | 👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零） | $10.99 | 445 80% | 13k | $147k (exactly $146,716) | 绝汪 | |
 | Requiem of Reuinis | $11.99 | 359 91% | 11k | $129k (exactly $129,132) | Zaxiquej, Otogen Studio | |
 | 生嚿叉燒好過生你 | $14.99 | 284 88% | 8.5k | $128k (exactly $127,715) | 無厘頭遊戲工作室 | |
 | A Hero's Rest: An RPG Town Simulator | $24.99 | 160 67% | 4.8k | $120k (exactly $119,952) | Vanargand Games | |
 | Esports History | $9.99 | 387 77% | 12k | $116k (exactly $115,984) | Quantum Gear Studios | |
 | TK Punk Gold | $11.99 | 291 87% | 8.7k | $105k (exactly $104,673) | 桑尼游戏(Sunny Game) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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