Do I ship it?

Games3D Fighter3D Fighter + 2D Fighter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Fighter 3D Fighter?

3D Fighter + 2D Fighter

Only 16 developers shipped a 2D Fighter 3D Fighter in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 30 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $720, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $59. 30 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper, while revenue is down 60% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 30 announced, ×5.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
3D Fighter + 2D Fighter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.0k → $809 → $629 → $3.0k → $1.2k → $538 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 3D Fighter + 2D Fighter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $719 (exactly $719)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,998)
Top 5% $7.6M (exactly $7,556,580)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 90
Announced 30
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 60% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

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

3D Fighter
effort 7 / 10 · low · 3D hit volumes plus the fighting-game tuning load
2D Fighter
effort 5 / 10 · low · frame-precise animation and rollback netcode

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
3D Fighter, 2D Fighter; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Fighting
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 2.5D, Retro
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 9,389 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $720, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $7.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 30 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

3D Fighter with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + ManagementFair11 devs · median $3.1k · 15 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair34 devs · median $2.1k · 42 announced
  3. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.2k · 3 announced
  4. + Choose Your Own AdventureLong shot17 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced
  5. + RhythmLong shot9 devs · median $898 · 8 announced
  6. + CollectathonLong shot15 devs · median $598 · 6 announced
  7. + ModernLong shot12 devs · median $539 · 10 announced
  8. + SimulationLong shot83 devs · median $538 · 96 announced
  9. + FightingPoor odds55 devs · median $5.0k · 87 announced
  10. + WrestlingPoor odds11 devs · median $2.3k · 21 announced
  11. + Life SimPoor odds10 devs · median $2.1k · 21 announced
  12. + HistoricalPoor odds14 devs · median $1.6k · 25 announced

All 126 pairs on the 3D Fighter page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
TEKKEN 7 older $39.99 68,063 83% 2.0M $82M (exactly $81,655,181) BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles older $59.99 16,545 87% 496k $30M (exactly $29,776,036) CyberConnect2
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R older $49.99 14,344 91% 430k $22M (exactly $21,511,697) CyberConnect2 Co. Ltd.
SOULCALIBUR VI older $59.99 9,768 83% 293k $18M (exactly $17,579,470) BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc., Dimps Corpor… (BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc., Dimps Corporation)
Street Fighter V older $19.99 27,820 72% 835k $17M (exactly $16,683,654) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV $29.99 8,399 83% 252k $7.6M (exactly $7,556,580) SNK CORPORATION
DNF Duel older $49.99 3,693 64% 111k $5.5M (exactly $5,538,392) NEOPLE Inc., Arc System Works, EIGHTING… (NEOPLE Inc., Arc System Works, EIGHTING Co., Ltd.)
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 $39.99 734 85% 22k $881k (exactly $880,580) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Fight of Animals older $9.99 396 92% 12k $119k (exactly $118,681) Digital Crafter
Demon Sword: Incubus older $19.99 184 76% 5.5k $110k (exactly $110,345) Brianode
Shaolin vs Wutang Legends · EA $19.99 64 95% 1.9k $38k (exactly $38,381) J.Bowman
CPU Invaders - 3i Atlas $4.99 77 98% 2.3k $12k (exactly $11,527) Microblast Games
Streets of Rageness: Beat 'Em Up Fighter · EA $19.99 5 0% 150 $3.0k (exactly $2,998) Hard Shark Games
Last Eclipse $12.99 6 50% 180 $2.3k (exactly $2,338) Animas Games
2Deez $10.00 7 100% 210 $2.1k (exactly $2,100) Kris Dabrowski
CPU Invaders - Aim Hero $0.99 53 100% 1.6k $1.6k (exactly $1,574) Microblast Games
CPU Invaders - Movie Attack $0.99 42 100% 1.3k $1.2k (exactly $1,247) Microblast Games
Mutant Rage · EA $19.99 2 50% 60 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) Animas Games

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