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Should I ship a Perma Death 2D Fighter?
2D Fighter + Perma Death
Only 15 developers shipped a Perma Death 2D 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, Rune Coliseum, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $270 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 6 developers shipped in the last year and 21 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $60 (exactly $60) |
|---|---|
| Median | $267 (exactly $267) |
| Top 25% | $1.8k (exactly $1,800) |
| Top 5% | $505k (exactly $504,754) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 15 |
| Released games | 41 |
| Announced | 21 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $1.99 |
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 60% on the market, supply 35% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 5%, 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
- Perma Death
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- 2D Fighter, Perma Death; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Roguelite, Action
- Price point
- $1.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $1.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 1,071 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
2D Fighter with a different second tag, 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
Rune Coliseum 2024 · EA · $505k 
Story of a Gladiator 2019 · $58k 
Trials of Valor 2026 · $57k 
Type or Die 2026 · $12k 
Nimbusfall 2024 · $8.6k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rune Coliseum | · EA | $18.99 | 886 79% | 27k | $505k (exactly $504,754) | Rafale Software |
| | Story of a Gladiator | older | $10.99 | 177 75% | 5.3k | $58k (exactly $58,357) | Brain Seal Ltd |
| | Trials of Valor | $18.99 | 100 95% | 3.0k | $57k (exactly $56,970) | Armored Goblin | |
| | Type or Die | $13.99 | 29 31% | 870 | $12k (exactly $12,171) | Type or Die | |
| | Nimbusfall | older | $5.99 | 48 87% | 1.4k | $8.6k (exactly $8,626) | GodziPixel |
 | Street karate 3 | older | $4.99 | 55 80% | 1.7k | $8.2k (exactly $8,234) | Essential Tactics Games |
 | Lab Inspect | older | $4.99 | 37 86% | 1.1k | $5.5k (exactly $5,539) | 8BITLAB |
 | Brave Survivor | older | $4.99 | 23 69% | 690 | $3.4k (exactly $3,443) | Felio Stung ROG |
 | For Sparta | older | $1.99 | 31 87% | 930 | $1.9k (exactly $1,851) | Gamecraft Studios |
 | Taram Baba | $4.00 | 15 93% | 450 | $1.8k (exactly $1,800) | Sofa Interactive | |
 | Gnomer | $4.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | Team Ruby | |
 | Stopping Santa | $1.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $716 (exactly $716) | Hephaestus Games | |
 | DodgeKill | · EA | $4.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | Kiro & Co, A2onCraft |
 | Deadcave | $0.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $267 (exactly $267) | cnsmini | |
 | Escape from the Forest | $1.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $239 (exactly $239) | oldpoplar | |
 | PLATE | $0.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $89 (exactly $89) | Tosakia |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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