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How many copies did Master of Orion sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 340k–553k
$2.3M–$6.3M after Steam's cut $4.2M–$9.7M before the cut
from 8k reviews (Mostly Positive)

A labeled estimate from the public review count (adjusted for release year), not exact sales. Owner data cross-checked with SteamSpy.

Does this actually work?

We left Master of Orion out and predicted the genre from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including Master of Orion's, is estimated from Steam reviews, not self-reported sales.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 136k–342k
best case 1.7M (Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™)
Games like Master of Orion

The middle of these games

≈ 136k–342k copies

≈ $733k–$2.3M after Steam's cut

from ~2k reviews

Only the top fifth of 2019’s Steam releases earned about $34k gross, so plan for that or less.

All 8 of your similar games are hits.

Best case: Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™ at ≈ 1.3M–2.1M copies, ≈ $14.2M–$38.3M after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
Your set
Your set clusters on 4X (7 of 8) and Sci-fi (7 of 8).
The winners
Winners here lead with Turn-Based Strategy + Sci-fi, priced around $40.
The era
The games you compared span 2011 to 2017, and none of them shipped in the last two years.
How these numbers were worked out

A hit here: 1,000+ reviews, roughly $150k+ before Steam's cut (a standard indie benchmark).

Copies come from each game's reviews times a sales-per-review rate that falls with release age, from about 43 for the most recent game here to about 79 for the oldest, then widened into a range; revenue rides on that estimate times price. Source: GameDiscoverCo (2020) and VG Insights (2021).

Similar games

Galactic Civilizations® II: Ultimate Edition
2011
Est. copies
≈ 108k–176k
SteamSpy 500k–1M
Est. revenue
$297k–$799k after Steam's cut $540k–$1.2M before the cut
$9.99
2k reviews
Mostly Positive
ENDLESS Space™ - Definitive Edition
2012
Est. copies
≈ 607k–986k
4.2x vs typical
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$1.7M–$4.5M after Steam's cut $3.0M–$6.9M before the cut
$9.99
10k reviews
Very Positive
Strategy4X
Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™
2014
Est. copies
≈ 1.3M–2.1M
10x vs typical
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$14.2M–$38.3M after Steam's cut $25.9M–$58.9M before the cut
$39.99
23k reviews
Mixed
StrategyTurn-Based Strategy
Master of Orion 2
2016
Est. copies
≈ 73k–118k
SteamSpy 100k–200k
Est. revenue
$120k–$321k after Steam's cut $217k–$494k before the cut
$5.99
2k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
Strategy4X
Distant Worlds: Universe
2014
Est. copies
≈ 104k–169k
SteamSpy 100k–200k
Est. revenue
$857k–$2.3M after Steam's cut $1.6M–$3.5M before the cut
$29.99
2k reviews
Mostly Positive
Strategy4X
Sid Meier's Starships
2015
Est. copies
≈ 121k–196k
SteamSpy 100k–200k
Est. revenue
$498k–$1.3M after Steam's cut $905k–$2.1M before the cut
$14.99
2k reviews
Mixed
StrategySpace
StarDrive 2
2015
Est. copies
≈ 103k–167k
SteamSpy 50k–100k
Est. revenue
$846k–$2.3M after Steam's cut $1.5M–$3.5M before the cut
$29.99
2k reviews
Mixed
StrategyIndie
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock
2017
Est. copies
≈ 145k–236k
1.8x vs typical
SteamSpy 200k–500k
Est. revenue
Free
Free
4k reviews
Very Positive
StrategySpace

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