Do I ship it?

GamesCo-opCo-op + 2D Fighter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Co-op 2D Fighter?

Co-op + 2D Fighter

Of 39 developers who shipped a Co-op 2D Fighter 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.. 92 more are announced, ×4.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $750, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $60. 92 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.6 per shipper, while revenue is down 100% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 92 announced, ×4.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + 2D Fighter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 39
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.1k → $4.9k → $60k → $9.0k → $20k → $27k → $748 (still earning) → $75 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + 2D Fighter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 39
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $748 (exactly $748)
Top 25% $27k (exactly $27,432)
Top 5% $4.5M (exactly $4,545,591)
Developers, 2 yr 39
Released games 150
Announced 92
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 100% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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.

Co-op
effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
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
Co-op, 2D Fighter; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Combat, Arcade
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 21,733 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $750, 1 in 4 over $27k, 1 in 20 over $4.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 7 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 92 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SuperheroFair9 devs · median $11k · 17 announced
  2. + Boomer ShooterFair16 devs · median $6.9k · 24 announced
  3. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 32 announced
  4. + NinjaFair13 devs · median $4.2k · 13 announced
  5. + TypingLong shot16 devs · median $810 · 13 announced
  6. + Word GameLong shot23 devs · median $267 · 23 announced
  7. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds58 devs · median $515k · 127 announced
  8. + World War IIPoor odds12 devs · median $372k · 23 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds48 devs · median $369k · 110 announced
  10. + TransportationPoor odds17 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $164k · 19 announced
  12. + Turn-BasedPoor odds12 devs · median $131k · 19 announced

All 230 pairs on the Co-op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mortal Kombat 11 older $49.99 87,021 88% 2.6M $131M (exactly $130,505,394) NetherRealm Studios, QLOC, Shiver
Stick Fight: The Game older $4.99 99,952 93% 3.0M $15M (exactly $14,962,814) Landfall West
Bopl Battle older $9.99 21,530 97% 646k $6.5M (exactly $6,452,541) Johan Grönvall
Rivals of Aether II $29.99 6,980 78% 209k $6.3M (exactly $6,279,906) Aether Studios
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition older $19.99 9,864 86% 296k $5.9M (exactly $5,915,441) NetherRealm Studios, High Voltage Softw… (NetherRealm Studios, High Voltage Software)
ULTIMATE MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3 older $24.99 6,546 91% 196k $4.9M (exactly $4,907,536) CAPCOM CO., LTD.
Invincible VS $49.99 3,031 76% 91k $4.5M (exactly $4,545,591) Quarter Up
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics older $49.99 1,976 93% 59k $3.0M (exactly $2,963,407) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Lethal League Blaze older $19.99 4,767 97% 143k $2.9M (exactly $2,858,770) Team Reptile
Stick It to the Stickman · EA $11.99 7,918 96% 238k $2.8M (exactly $2,848,105) Free Lives
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 $39.99 734 85% 22k $881k (exactly $880,580) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
A Few Quick Matches $6.99 2,475 85% 74k $519k (exactly $519,008) Studio Bidou
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate $24.99 205 84% 6.2k $154k (exactly $153,688) Rocket Panda Games Japan
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble $39.99 64 73% 1.9k $77k (exactly $76,781) Odaclick Game Studio
Age of Barbarians Chronicles $18.99 101 76% 3.0k $58k (exactly $57,540) Crian Soft
Night Slashers: Remake $9.99 164 61% 4.9k $49k (exactly $49,151) Storm Trident S.A.
Fallen City Brawl $14.99 61 77% 1.8k $27k (exactly $27,432) Fallen City Studio

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