Do I ship it?

Games › Settings › Female Protagonist

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Female-Led game?

Female Protagonist

Of 3,378 developers who shipped a Female-Led 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.. 5,249 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.4k, ×7.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $690; 1 in 20 cleared $500k, ×1064 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 5,249 games are announced against 1,938 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 5,249 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Female Protagonist
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 3,378
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.5k → $5.4k → $4.2k → $3.1k → $4.2k → $3.6k → $2.6k (still earning) → $1.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Female Protagonist: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 3,378
Bottom 30% $684 (exactly $684)
Median $3.4k (exactly $3,356)
Top 25% $27k (exactly $26,618)
Top 5% $506k (exactly $505,631)
Developers, 2 yr 3,378
Released games 13,456
Announced 5,249
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 15% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Female Protagonist
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 994,722 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $690, median $3.4k, 1 in 4 over $26k, 1 in 20 over $500k.

3 in 10 developers made under $690. 8 in 10 of the 2,180 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 5,249 games are announced against 1,938 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Female Protagonist

165 pairs · ranked by verdict, then medianwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Sports + Female Protagonist Poor odds $3.0k 46 devs
  2. Fighting + Female Protagonist Poor odds $3.0k 17 devs
  3. Resource Management + Female Protagonist Poor odds $3.0k 94 devs
  4. Inventory Management + Female Protagonist Poor odds $3.0k 51 devs
  5. Platformer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.9k 373 devs
  6. Grid-Based Movement + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.7k 48 devs
  7. Strategy + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.7k 414 devs
  8. Beat 'em up + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.7k 86 devs
  9. Puzzle + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.7k 711 devs
  10. Destruction + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.7k 21 devs
  11. Combat + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.6k 457 devs
  12. Rhythm + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.6k 71 devs
  13. Bullet Hell + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.5k 206 devs
  14. Walking Simulator + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.5k 203 devs
  15. Tabletop + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.5k 36 devs
  16. Wargame + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.4k 14 devs
  17. Real Time Tactics + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.4k 45 devs
  18. 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.2k 455 devs
  19. Puzzle Platformer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.2k 167 devs
  20. Sokoban + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.1k 23 devs
  21. Procedural Generation + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.0k 84 devs
  22. Tower Defense + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.0k 40 devs
  23. Driving + Female Protagonist Poor odds $2.0k 21 devs
  24. Collectathon + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.9k 139 devs
  25. Time Manipulation + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.9k 32 devs
  26. Twin Stick Shooter + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.9k 40 devs
  27. Looter Shooter + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.9k 14 devs
  28. Idler + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.9k 103 devs
  29. PvE + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.8k 266 devs
  30. Perma Death + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.8k 71 devs
  31. Shoot 'Em Up + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.8k 139 devs
  32. 2D Fighter + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.7k 45 devs
  33. Racing + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.6k 44 devs
  34. Combat Racing + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.6k 11 devs
  35. Dynamic Narration + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.6k 47 devs
  36. 3D Platformer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.6k 207 devs
  37. Boss Rush + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.6k 12 devs
  38. Action RTS + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.4k 15 devs
  39. Asynchronous Multiplayer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.3k 10 devs
  40. Quick-Time Events + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.3k 45 devs
  41. Precision Platformer + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.3k 89 devs
  42. Hidden Object + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.2k 172 devs
  43. Logic + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.2k 129 devs
  44. Physics + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.2k 114 devs
  45. Music-Based Procedural Generation + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.2k 11 devs
  46. Top-Down Shooter + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.2k 107 devs
  47. Survival + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.1k 149 devs
  48. Match 3 + Female Protagonist Poor odds $1.1k 27 devs
  49. Parkour + Female Protagonist Poor odds $958 62 devs
  50. Hero Shooter + Female Protagonist Poor odds $898 18 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Battlefield™ V 2020 · $355M Assassin's Creed® Odyssey 2018 · $310M Detroit: Become Human 2020 · $272M The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition 2016 · $263M It Takes Two 2021 · $262M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Battlefield™ V older $49.99 236,709 70% 7.1M $355M (exactly $354,992,487) DICE
Assassin's Creed® Odyssey older $59.99 172,149 89% 5.2M $310M (exactly $309,816,555) Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubiso… (Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Kiev, Ubisoft Shanghai)
Detroit: Become Human older $39.99 226,411 96% 6.8M $272M (exactly $271,625,277) Quantic Dream
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition older $39.99 219,271 94% 6.6M $263M (exactly $263,059,419) Bethesda Game Studios
It Takes Two older $39.99 218,492 95% 6.6M $262M (exactly $262,124,852) Hazelight Studios
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition older $44.99 180,782 95% 5.4M $244M (exactly $244,001,465) Larian Studios
Hollow Knight: Silksong $19.99 386,977 89% 12M $232M (exactly $232,070,107) Team Cherry
Resident Evil Requiem $69.99 106,931 95% 3.2M $225M (exactly $224,523,021) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
EA SPORTS FC™ 26 $69.99 99,773 50% 3.0M $209M (exactly $209,493,368) EA Canada, EA Romania
Resident Evil 2 older $39.99 156,065 97% 4.7M $187M (exactly $187,231,180) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Split Fiction $49.99 78,378 97% 2.4M $118M (exactly $117,543,487) Hazelight Studios
Stellar Blade™ $59.99 61,289 93% 1.8M $110M (exactly $110,301,813) SHIFT UP Corporation
Hades II $29.99 114,419 95% 3.4M $103M (exactly $102,942,774) Supergiant Games
Assassin’s Creed Shadows $69.99 34,953 75% 1.0M $73M (exactly $73,390,814) Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Belgrade, Ubiso… (Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Belgrade, Ubisoft Bordeaux, Ubisoft Bucharest & Craiova, Ubisoft Chengdu, Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Osaka, Ubisoft Philippines, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Sofia, Ubisoft Ukraine)
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers $49.99 44,865 58% 1.3M $67M (exactly $67,284,040) Leenzee
PRAGMATA $59.99 32,885 96% 987k $59M (exactly $59,183,134) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
The Last of Us™ Part II Remastered $49.99 34,252 90% 1.0M $51M (exactly $51,367,724) Naughty Dog LLC, Nixxes Software, Iron… (Naughty Dog LLC, Nixxes Software, Iron Galaxy Studios)

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