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. Hockey + Local Multiplayer Strong odds $3.0k 11 devs
  2. Local Multiplayer + Female Protagonist Fair $5.8k 61 devs
  3. Action RPG + Local Multiplayer Fair $5.5k 43 devs
  4. Hex Grid + Local Multiplayer Fair $4.5k 12 devs
  5. Local Multiplayer + Modern Fair $3.6k 24 devs
  6. Wargame + Local Multiplayer Fair $3.0k 28 devs
  7. Tennis + Local Multiplayer Fair $2.3k 18 devs
  8. Local Multiplayer + Point & Click Fair $2.0k 14 devs
  9. Local Multiplayer + Artificial Intelligence Fair $1.8k 26 devs
  10. Football (American) + Local Multiplayer Fair $1.8k 13 devs
  11. Sports + Local Multiplayer Fair $1.6k 196 devs
  12. Local Multiplayer + Runner Fair $1.3k 23 devs
  13. Local Multiplayer + Hidden Object Fair $959 15 devs
  14. Local Multiplayer + Historical Fair $898 33 devs
  15. Local Multiplayer + Underground Fair $807 10 devs
  16. Local Multiplayer + Inventory Management Fair $719 9 devs
  17. Local Multiplayer + Score Attack Fair $599 111 devs
  18. Local Multiplayer + Incremental Fair $505 12 devs
  19. Local Multiplayer + Choose Your Own Adventure Fair $449 13 devs
  20. Football (Soccer) + Local Multiplayer Long shot $899 32 devs
  21. Local Multiplayer + Tabletop Long shot $269 90 devs
  22. Local Multiplayer + Board Game Long shot $240 111 devs
  23. Turn-Based Strategy + Local Multiplayer Long shot $240 97 devs
  24. Turn-Based Tactics + Local Multiplayer Long shot $239 101 devs
  25. Local Multiplayer + Capitalism Poor odds $15k 10 devs
  26. Local Multiplayer + Music Poor odds $8.4k 13 devs
  27. Local Multiplayer + Minigames Poor odds $7.2k 26 devs
  28. Loot + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $6.0k 15 devs
  29. Local Multiplayer + Cooking Poor odds $5.5k 23 devs
  30. Management + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $5.4k 35 devs
  31. Online Co-Op + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $4.8k 181 devs
  32. Immersive Sim + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $4.8k 36 devs
  33. Local Multiplayer + Supernatural Poor odds $4.8k 10 devs
  34. Local Multiplayer + Psychological Horror Poor odds $4.0k 19 devs
  35. Basketball + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.9k 17 devs
  36. RPG + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 81 devs
  37. Exploration + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 66 devs
  38. Adventure + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 208 devs
  39. Action-Adventure + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 128 devs
  40. Sandbox + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 34 devs
  41. Crafting + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.6k 19 devs
  42. Local Multiplayer + Ninja Poor odds $3.4k 16 devs
  43. Fighting + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.1k 88 devs
  44. Golf + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $3.1k 14 devs
  45. Local Multiplayer + Mini Golf Poor odds $3.0k 6 devs
  46. Simulation + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $2.9k 171 devs
  47. Vehicular Combat + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $2.7k 31 devs
  48. Local Multiplayer + Dystopian Poor odds $2.7k 8 devs
  49. Character Customization + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $2.7k 139 devs
  50. Driving + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $2.5k 52 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.