Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Local Multiplayer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer game?

Local Multiplayer

Of 1,190 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer 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.. 1,760 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×607 the market median. Revenue is down 45% on the market; 1,760 games are announced against 722 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 45% on the market, 1,760 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Multiplayer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 1,190
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.1k → $3.0k → $1.6k → $1.9k → $1.9k → $1.7k → $628 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Multiplayer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 1,190
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $900 (exactly $900)
Top 25% $6.7k (exactly $6,746)
Top 5% $288k (exactly $288,258)
Developers, 2 yr 1,190
Released games 4,978
Announced 1,760
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 45% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

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

Local Multiplayer
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Local Multiplayer
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $28.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $28.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 77% positive over 361,664 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $900, 1 in 4 over $6.7k, 1 in 20 over $280k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 646 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 1,760 games are announced against 722 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Local Multiplayer

175 pairs · ranked by verdict, then medianwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Local Multiplayer + Multiple Endings Poor odds $1.0k 22 devs
  2. 2D Fighter + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $959 117 devs
  3. Local Multiplayer + Arcade Poor odds $958 508 devs
  4. Local Multiplayer + 2D Platformer Poor odds $899 165 devs
  5. Survival + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $899 43 devs
  6. Local Multiplayer + Card Game Poor odds $899 42 devs
  7. Economy + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $899 17 devs
  8. PvP + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $898 663 devs
  9. Combat + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $898 271 devs
  10. Local Multiplayer + Sci-fi Poor odds $898 104 devs
  11. Local Multiplayer + Shoot 'Em Up Poor odds $898 63 devs
  12. Shooter + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $839 142 devs
  13. Destruction + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $839 21 devs
  14. Survival Horror + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $839 14 devs
  15. Local Multiplayer + War Poor odds $838 42 devs
  16. Choices Matter + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $838 34 devs
  17. Local Multiplayer + Twin Stick Shooter Poor odds $748 45 devs
  18. Local Multiplayer + Military Poor odds $748 31 devs
  19. Stealth + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $748 27 devs
  20. Parkour + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $748 26 devs
  21. Class-Based + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $719 20 devs
  22. Local Multiplayer + Puzzle Poor odds $718 174 devs
  23. Local Multiplayer + Dark Fantasy Poor odds $600 24 devs
  24. Local Multiplayer + Party Game Poor odds $599 235 devs
  25. Local Multiplayer + Space Poor odds $599 63 devs
  26. Arena Shooter + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $599 60 devs
  27. Local Multiplayer + Match 3 Poor odds $599 14 devs
  28. Local Multiplayer + Futuristic Poor odds $539 52 devs
  29. Local Multiplayer + Aliens Poor odds $539 27 devs
  30. Strategy + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $505 250 devs
  31. Local Multiplayer + Tower Defense Poor odds $479 17 devs
  32. PvE + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $449 189 devs
  33. Tactical + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $449 93 devs
  34. Local Multiplayer + Robots Poor odds $449 37 devs
  35. Local Multiplayer + Top-Down Shooter Poor odds $300 72 devs
  36. Local Multiplayer + Procedural Generation Poor odds $300 44 devs
  37. Local Multiplayer + Trivia Poor odds $299 19 devs
  38. Tanks + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $299 12 devs
  39. Battle Royale + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $269 24 devs
  40. Local Multiplayer + Turn-Based Combat Poor odds $239 41 devs
  41. Flight + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $239 20 devs
  42. Local Multiplayer + Auto Battler Poor odds $120 15 devs
  43. Local Multiplayer + Perma Death Poor odds $120 13 devs
  44. Local Multiplayer + Solitaire Poor odds $60 7 devs
  45. Local Multiplayer + Chess Poor odds $0 19 devs
  46. Party-Based RPG + Local Multiplayer Dead $76k 8 devs
  47. Local Multiplayer + LGBTQ+ Dead $31k 10 devs
  48. Souls-like + Local Multiplayer Dead $28k 7 devs
  49. Local Multiplayer + Visual Novel Dead $12k 2 devs
  50. Offroad + Local Multiplayer Dead $10k 8 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

It Takes Two 2021 · $262M EA SPORTS FC™ 26 2025 · $209M Mortal Kombat 11 2019 · $131M Split Fiction 2025 · $118M Human Fall Flat 2016 · $105M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
It Takes Two older $39.99 218,492 95% 6.6M $262M (exactly $262,124,852) Hazelight Studios
EA SPORTS FC™ 26 $69.99 99,773 50% 3.0M $209M (exactly $209,493,368) EA Canada, EA Romania
Mortal Kombat 11 older $49.99 87,021 88% 2.6M $131M (exactly $130,505,394) NetherRealm Studios, QLOC, Shiver
Split Fiction $49.99 78,378 97% 2.4M $118M (exactly $117,543,487) Hazelight Studios
Human Fall Flat older $19.99 174,835 94% 5.2M $105M (exactly $104,848,549) No Brakes Games
Among Us older $4.99 659,003 92% 20M $99M (exactly $98,652,749) Innersloth
TEKKEN 7 older $39.99 68,063 83% 2.0M $82M (exactly $81,655,181) BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO $49.99 50,395 86% 1.5M $76M (exactly $75,577,382) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
NBA 2K25 older $69.99 30,969 60% 929k $65M (exactly $65,025,609) Visual Concepts
Street Fighter™ 6 older $39.99 49,952 81% 1.5M $60M (exactly $59,927,414) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
NBA 2K26 $69.99 25,651 66% 770k $54M (exactly $53,859,405) Visual Concepts
Undisputed $49.99 19,190 60% 576k $29M (exactly $28,779,243) Steel City Interactive
Wobbly Life $24.99 33,034 97% 991k $25M (exactly $24,765,590) RubberBandGames
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds $69.99 11,479 93% 344k $24M (exactly $24,102,456) Sonic Team
REANIMAL $39.99 13,809 78% 414k $17M (exactly $16,566,657) Tarsier Studios
Rhythm Doctor $19.99 25,021 98% 751k $15M (exactly $15,005,094) 7th Beat Games
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls $59.99 4,934 48% 148k $8.9M (exactly $8,879,720) ARC SYSTEM WORKS CO., LTD

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