Games › Third-Person Shooter › Third-Person Shooter + Tower Defense
Should I ship a Tower Defense Third-Person Shooter?
Third-Person Shooter + Tower Defense
Of 36 developers who shipped a Tower Defense Third-Person Shooter 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.. 46 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $450 in the last 2 years and $340 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 17 developers shipped in the last year and 46 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $450 (exactly $450) |
| Top 25% | $8.9k (exactly $8,880) |
| Top 5% | $1.3M (exactly $1,267,166) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 36 |
| Released games | 103 |
| Announced | 46 |
| 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 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Third-Person Shooter
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Tower Defense
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Third-Person Shooter, Tower Defense; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Action, Base Building
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 72% positive over 7,099 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 46 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Third-Person Shooter with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RhythmStrong odds
- + WesternFair
- + CollectathonLong shot
- + Time ManagementLong shot
- + Walking SimulatorLong shot
- + Class-BasedPoor odds
- + Creature CollectorPoor odds
- + DinosaursPoor odds
- + MechsPoor odds
- + Alternate HistoryPoor odds
- + Level EditorPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
Comparable games
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville™ 2020 · $14M 
Orcs Must Die! 3 2021 · $9.8M 
Orcs Must Die! 2 2012 · $5.8M 
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap 2025 · $3.6M 
HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed 2020 · $2.8M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville™ | older | $29.99 | 15,372 71% | 461k | $14M (exactly $13,830,188) | PopCap |
| | Orcs Must Die! 3 | older | $29.99 | 10,930 85% | 328k | $9.8M (exactly $9,833,721) | Robot Entertainment |
| | Orcs Must Die! 2 | older | $14.99 | 12,924 92% | 388k | $5.8M (exactly $5,811,923) | Robot Entertainment |
| | Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap | $29.99 | 4,053 69% | 122k | $3.6M (exactly $3,646,484) | Robot Entertainment | |
| | HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed | older | $24.99 | 3,798 90% | 114k | $2.8M (exactly $2,847,361) | Digital Cybercherries |
 | Orcs Must Die! | older | $9.99 | 6,663 95% | 200k | $2.0M (exactly $1,996,901) | Robot Entertainment |
 | Dread Dawn | $19.99 | 2,113 71% | 63k | $1.3M (exactly $1,267,166) | Kioop | |
 | Iron Brigade | older | $14.99 | 909 86% | 27k | $409k (exactly $408,777) | Double Fine Productions |
 | Home Wars | older | $9.99 | 1,141 78% | 34k | $342k (exactly $341,958) | Insane Dreamers |
 | Attack on Toys | · EA older | $6.99 | 1,158 93% | 35k | $243k (exactly $242,833) | N7T-GAMES |
 | Block Fortress 2 | $19.99 | 264 81% | 7.9k | $158k (exactly $158,321) | Foursaken Media | |
 | KUNKUN Defender 2 | $4.99 | 294 94% | 8.8k | $44k (exactly $44,012) | Seal | |
 | WARSHIFT 2 | $19.99 | 54 70% | 1.6k | $32k (exactly $32,384) | Cyril Megem | |
 | World Crafter TD | $14.99 | 70 48% | 2.1k | $31k (exactly $31,479) | Tbjbu2 | |
 | Book Shooter | $6.99 | 107 86% | 3.2k | $22k (exactly $22,438) | SOS GameLab. | |
 | Wild Ice | $19.99 | 17 100% | 510 | $10k (exactly $10,195) | Journey Bound Games | |
 | 宗门最后的长老 | $2.99 | 99 96% | 3.0k | $8.9k (exactly $8,880) | KUMA studio | |
 | Puropu Defense Squad | $9.99 | 28 57% | 840 | $8.4k (exactly $8,392) | PlayTogether Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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