Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Battler?

Card Battler

Of 1,140 developers who shipped a Card Battler 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.. 1,988 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $310k, ×661 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 1,988 games are announced against 718 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 1,988 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 1,140
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.2k → $4.9k → $3.2k → $2.5k → $2.0k → $2.7k → $836 (still earning) → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 1,140
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $12,225)
Top 5% $314k (exactly $313,891)
Developers, 2 yr 1,140
Released games 2,404
Announced 1,988
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 40% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

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

Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Card Battler
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 71% positive over 282,961 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $310k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 550 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 1,988 games are announced against 718 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Card Battler

91 pairs with a mechanicwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Card Battler + Multiple Endings Poor odds $1.7k 58 devs
  2. Character Customization + Card Battler Poor odds $1.7k 40 devs
  3. Choices Matter + Card Battler Poor odds $1.7k 167 devs
  4. Action RPG + Card Battler Poor odds $1.7k 16 devs
  5. Turn-Based Combat + Card Battler Poor odds $1.5k 425 devs
  6. Tactical + Card Battler Poor odds $1.4k 216 devs
  7. Turn-Based Strategy + Card Battler Poor odds $1.3k 456 devs
  8. Card Battler + Score Attack Poor odds $1.3k 34 devs
  9. Loot + Card Battler Poor odds $1.3k 29 devs
  10. Card Battler + Incremental Poor odds $1.3k 30 devs
  11. Card Battler + Time Management Poor odds $1.3k 18 devs
  12. Strategy + Card Battler Poor odds $1.2k 988 devs
  13. PvP + Card Battler Poor odds $1.2k 159 devs
  14. Action + Card Battler Poor odds $1.2k 103 devs
  15. Card Battler + Tower Defense Poor odds $1.1k 63 devs
  16. Card Battler + Idler Poor odds $1.1k 19 devs
  17. Card Battler + Card Game Poor odds $899 954 devs
  18. RTS + Card Battler Poor odds $899 37 devs
  19. Resource Management + Card Battler Poor odds $897 71 devs
  20. Co-op + Card Battler Poor odds $839 23 devs
  21. Economy + Card Battler Poor odds $809 25 devs
  22. Real Time Tactics + Card Battler Poor odds $748 60 devs
  23. Survival + Card Battler Poor odds $719 46 devs
  24. Building + Card Battler Poor odds $719 33 devs
  25. Wargame + Card Battler Poor odds $719 17 devs
  26. Turn-Based Tactics + Card Battler Poor odds $599 431 devs
  27. PvE + Card Battler Poor odds $599 212 devs
  28. Combat + Card Battler Poor odds $599 145 devs
  29. Action-Adventure + Card Battler Poor odds $599 15 devs
  30. Trading Card Game + Card Battler Poor odds $598 131 devs
  31. Card Battler + Logic Poor odds $597 45 devs
  32. Card Battler + Tabletop Poor odds $538 190 devs
  33. Card Battler + Board Game Poor odds $479 168 devs
  34. Action Roguelike + Card Battler Poor odds $450 47 devs
  35. Card Battler + Puzzle Poor odds $449 67 devs
  36. Card Battler + Mystery Dungeon Dead $11k 12 devs
  37. Grand Strategy + Card Battler Dead $450 11 devs
  38. 3D Platformer + Card Battler Dead $210 13 devs
  39. Racing + Card Battler Dead $210 6 devs
  40. 2D Platformer + Card Battler Dead $179 51 devs
  41. Battle Royale + Card Battler Dead $60 6 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Slay the Spire 2019 · $144M Slay the Spire 2 2026 · EA · $138M Inscryption 2021 · $81M Balatro 2024 · $72M Library Of Ruina 2021 · $37M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Slay the Spire older $24.99 191,765 97% 5.8M $144M (exactly $143,766,220) Mega Crit
Slay the Spire 2 · EA $24.99 183,764 61% 5.5M $138M (exactly $137,767,871) Mega Crit
Inscryption older $19.99 135,017 96% 4.1M $81M (exactly $80,969,695) Daniel Mullins Games
Balatro older $14.99 160,715 97% 4.8M $72M (exactly $72,273,536) LocalThunk
Library Of Ruina older $29.99 40,605 94% 1.2M $37M (exactly $36,532,318) ProjectMoon
Marvel's Midnight Suns older $59.99 17,060 82% 512k $31M (exactly $30,702,882) Firaxis Games
Monster Train older $24.99 19,950 95% 599k $15M (exactly $14,956,515) Shiny Shoe
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觅长生 older $14.99 27,072 93% 812k $12M (exactly $12,174,278) Chalcedony Network
Chrono Ark older $24.99 12,623 90% 379k $9.5M (exactly $9,463,463) Al Fine
The Bazaar $19.99 14,931 70% 448k $9.0M (exactly $8,954,121) Tempo
Backpack Battles $14.99 18,933 91% 568k $8.5M (exactly $8,514,170) PlayWithFurcifer
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors $9.99 18,587 96% 558k $5.6M (exactly $5,570,524) poncle, Nosebleed Interactive
Super Fantasy Kingdom · EA $19.99 5,630 86% 169k $3.4M (exactly $3,376,311) Super Fantasy Games
StarVaders $24.99 3,760 97% 113k $2.8M (exactly $2,818,872) Pengonauts
He is Coming · EA $19.99 3,834 84% 115k $2.3M (exactly $2,299,250) Chronocle
DICEOMANCER $14.99 4,749 96% 142k $2.1M (exactly $2,135,625) 超厚皮猪猪 Ultra Piggy Studio
Slots & Daggers $7.99 7,421 93% 223k $1.8M (exactly $1,778,814) Friedemann

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