Do I ship it?

Games2D Fighter2D Fighter + Medieval

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Medieval 2D Fighter?

2D Fighter + Medieval

Of 41 developers who shipped a Medieval 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $480, ×0.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $69k, ×111 the market median. Revenue is up 180% on the market; 67 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 180% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Fighter + Medieval
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 41
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.0k → $1.9k → $300 → $89 → $120 → $1.6k → $748 (still earning) → $449 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Fighter + Medieval: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 41
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $479 (exactly $479)
Top 25% $3.6k (exactly $3,596)
Top 5% $70k (exactly $69,830)
Developers, 2 yr 41
Released games 127
Announced 67
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 180% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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.

2D Fighter
effort 5 / 10 · low · frame-precise animation and rollback netcode
Medieval
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
2D Fighter; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cartoony, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 1,589 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $480, 1 in 4 over $3.5k, 1 in 20 over $69k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Fighter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RomanceStrong odds8 devs · median $4.0k · 6 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair11 devs · median $4.0k · 12 announced
  3. + Card BattlerFair10 devs · median $1.0k · 11 announced
  4. + DeckbuildingFair17 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  5. + Auto BattlerFair16 devs · median $719 · 19 announced
  6. + IdlerFair9 devs · median $599 · 18 announced
  7. + RhythmFair10 devs · median $599 · 12 announced
  8. + SimulationFair51 devs · median $598 · 55 announced
  9. + IncrementalFair16 devs · median $538 · 13 announced
  10. + ManagementFair10 devs · median $449 · 14 announced
  11. + SuperheroLong shot11 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  12. + Resource ManagementLong shot13 devs · median $390 · 14 announced

All 129 pairs on the 2D Fighter page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
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)
Kingdom Rush Vengeance - Tower Defense older $19.99 9,906 93% 297k $5.9M (exactly $5,940,628) Ironhide Game Studio
Rune Coliseum · EA $18.99 886 79% 27k $505k (exactly $504,754) Rafale Software
Swords and Sandals Immortals older $11.99 1,056 84% 32k $380k (exactly $379,843) Whiskeybarrel Studios
Bleak Sword DX older $9.99 641 76% 19k $192k (exactly $192,108) more8bit
Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All! older $24.99 229 63% 6.9k $172k (exactly $171,681) Mr. Nutz Studio
Swords and Sandals 2 Redux older $9.99 552 78% 17k $165k (exactly $165,434) Whiskeybarrel Studios
Demon Sword: Incubus older $19.99 184 76% 5.5k $110k (exactly $110,345) Brianode
IGS Classic Arcade Collection $29.99 94 60% 2.8k $85k (exactly $84,572) IGS(台灣鈊象電子)
Griefhelm older $9.99 267 75% 8.0k $80k (exactly $80,020) Johnny Dale Lonack
Swords and Sandals 3 Redux $9.99 233 87% 7.0k $70k (exactly $69,830) Whiskeybarrel Studios
AQUAPAZZA: Aquaplus Dream Match $19.99 104 33% 3.1k $62k (exactly $62,369) AQUAPLUS
Trials of Valor $18.99 100 95% 3.0k $57k (exactly $56,970) Armored Goblin
Ritter & Rotwein $12.49 86 68% 2.6k $32k (exactly $32,224) Hurdy-Gurdy Games
Type or Die $13.99 29 31% 870 $12k (exactly $12,171) Type or Die
Avian Knights $14.99 14 100% 420 $6.3k (exactly $6,296) Alan-1, Inc.
Reincarnation Galgame Become Heroine! $4.99 30 90% 900 $4.5k (exactly $4,491) Crazy Slime
The Orc Invasion $10.99 13 92% 390 $4.3k (exactly $4,286) ATK Games

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