Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Fighter › 2D Fighter + Rhythm

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Rhythm 2D Fighter?

2D Fighter + Rhythm

Only 10 developers shipped a Rhythm 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, Skullbreaker, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 12 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $150. Revenue is up 1155% on the market; 12 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 1155% on the market, 12 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Fighter + Rhythm
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $599 → $150 → $3.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Fighter + Rhythm: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $10k (exactly $10,190)
Top 5% $12k (exactly $11,696)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 34
Announced 12
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

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 1155% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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
Rhythm
effort 3 / 10 · medium · audio sync, timing precision and music rights

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
2D Fighter, Rhythm
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 82% positive over 192 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $600, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $11k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 12 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Fighter with a different second tag, 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. + SimulationFair51 devs · median $598 · 55 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair16 devs · median $538 · 13 announced
  9. + ManagementFair10 devs · median $449 · 14 announced
  10. + SuperheroLong shot11 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  11. + Resource ManagementLong shot13 devs · median $390 · 14 announced
  12. + Twin Stick ShooterPoor odds15 devs · median $3.1k · 28 announced

All 129 pairs on the 2D Fighter page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

One Finger Death Punch 2014 · $1.9M One Finger Death Punch 2 2019 · $891k Waifu Fighter 2022 · $642k God of Rock 2023 · $49k TERRORHYTHM (TRRT) - Rhythm driven action beat 'em up! 2018 · $28k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
One Finger Death Punch older $4.99 12,548 97% 376k $1.9M (exactly $1,878,436) Silver Dollar Games
One Finger Death Punch 2 older $7.99 3,717 96% 112k $891k (exactly $890,965) Silver Dollar Games
Waifu Fighter older $7.99 2,677 86% 80k $642k (exactly $641,677) Happy Monster Studio
God of Rock older $29.99 54 50% 1.6k $49k (exactly $48,584) Maximum Entertainment
TERRORHYTHM (TRRT) - Rhythm driven action beat 'em up! older $19.99 47 72% 1.4k $28k (exactly $28,186) EvilCoGames
Skullbreaker $29.99 13 92% 390 $12k (exactly $11,696) Sharkgame
泳装乱舞 $3.99 95 75% 2.9k $11k (exactly $11,372) 1v1combat
EmberStride $29.99 12 91% 360 $11k (exactly $10,796) Sharkgame
Soulbound Roguelike $9.99 34 82% 1.0k $10k (exactly $10,190) DuDu Games
∀kashicforce older $12.99 26 88% 780 $10k (exactly $10,132) Endless Shirafu
Survalker $9.99 14 85% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) Gamesforgames
The Inseparables $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Gamesforgames
Standoff Beat $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Sketchy Corner Studios
COSMIC WARFRONT $1.99 10 100% 300 $597 (exactly $597) Gamesforfarm
Final 4 Survival $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Sean Foley
HOLD.FOR.HUMANS $6.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Pic Vert Games

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