Games › 2D Fighter › 2D Fighter + Dark Fantasy
Should I ship a Dark-Fantasy 2D Fighter?
2D Fighter + Dark Fantasy
Of 37 developers who shipped a Dark-Fantasy 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.. 58 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 20 developers shipped in the last year and 58 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $30 (exactly $30) |
|---|---|
| Median | $299 (exactly $299) |
| Top 25% | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) |
| Top 5% | $1.6M (exactly $1,594,186) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 37 |
| Released games | 103 |
| Announced | 58 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 up 170% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- 2D Fighter
- effort 5 / 10 · low · frame-precise animation and rollback netcode
- Dark Fantasy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- 2D Fighter; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action RPG, Arcade
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Retro
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 5,375 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 58 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
2D Fighter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RomanceStrong odds
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + IdlerFair
- + RhythmFair
- + SimulationFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + ManagementFair
- + SuperheroLong shot
- + Resource ManagementLong shot
Comparable games
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection 2025 · $1.8M 
SiNiSistar 2 2026 · $1.6M 
Umineko: Golden Fantasia 2017 · $354k 
Song of Iron 2021 · $215k 
Bleak Sword DX 2023 · $192k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection | $49.99 | 1,214 63% | 36k | $1.8M (exactly $1,820,636) | Digital Eclipse | |
| | SiNiSistar 2 | $14.99 | 3,545 90% | 106k | $1.6M (exactly $1,594,186) | Uu | |
| | Umineko: Golden Fantasia | older | $24.99 | 472 91% | 14k | $354k (exactly $353,858) | 07th Expansion |
| | Song of Iron | older | $19.99 | 358 72% | 11k | $215k (exactly $214,693) | Resting Relic |
| | Bleak Sword DX | older | $9.99 | 641 76% | 19k | $192k (exactly $192,108) | more8bit |
 | Estella's Nightmare: Sealed Space and a Succubus's Curse | older | $9.99 | 512 70% | 15k | $153k (exactly $153,446) | Playmeow |
 | Two Strikes | $14.99 | 256 89% | 7.7k | $115k (exactly $115,123) | Retro Reactor | |
 | The Black Heart | older | $9.99 | 295 96% | 8.9k | $88k (exactly $88,412) | Andrés Borghi |
 | Trials of Valor | $18.99 | 100 95% | 3.0k | $57k (exactly $56,970) | Armored Goblin | |
 | DaemonBride:ADDITIONAL GAIN | $19.99 | 94 82% | 2.8k | $56k (exactly $56,372) | Team Arcana, Kizawaya | |
 | Lady Death Demonicron | $39.99 | 36 47% | 1.1k | $43k (exactly $43,189) | Art Of Play Interactive | |
 | WORLD HEROES PERFECT | $19.99 | 50 86% | 1.5k | $30k (exactly $29,985) | Code Mystics | |
 | face the immortal | · EA | $17.99 | 41 92% | 1.2k | $22k (exactly $22,128) | DY |
 | Type or Die | $13.99 | 29 31% | 870 | $12k (exactly $12,171) | Type or Die | |
 | Hammer of Pain | $10.99 | 10 80% | 300 | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) | SleepingFrog |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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