Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Fighter › 2D Fighter + Turn-Based Combat

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Turn-Based Combat 2D Fighter?

2D Fighter + Turn-Based Combat

Of 25 developers who shipped a Turn-Based Combat 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.. 35 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $270 in the last 2 years and $390 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 19 developers shipped in the last year and 35 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 35 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Fighter + Turn-Based Combat
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $14k → $420 → $479 → $270 → $239 (still earning) → $599 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Fighter + Turn-Based Combat: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $270 (exactly $270)
Top 25% $959 (exactly $959)
Top 5% $27k (exactly $26,504)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 68
Announced 35
Effort 5 / 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 flat on the market, supply 215% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, 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
Turn-Based Combat
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, Turn-Based Combat; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Cartoon
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 987 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 $270, 1 in 4 over $950, 1 in 20 over $26k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 35 games are announced against 19 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. + 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

Rune Coliseum 2024 · EA · $505k Swords and Sandals Immortals 2023 · $380k Fight of Gods 2019 · $343k Swords and Sandals 2 Redux 2017 · $165k 烈山海贰 2022 · $29k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
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
Fight of Gods older $14.99 762 83% 23k $343k (exactly $342,671) Digital Crafter
Swords and Sandals 2 Redux older $9.99 552 78% 17k $165k (exactly $165,434) Whiskeybarrel Studios
烈山海贰 older $19.99 48 81% 1.4k $29k (exactly $28,786) 图纳密游戏
Signy & Mino: Against All Gods $16.99 52 88% 1.6k $27k (exactly $26,504) AN Productions
Gladiators and Glory older $7.99 57 89% 1.7k $14k (exactly $13,663) Oguz Kemerli
Mega Knockdown · EA older $9.99 37 100% 1.1k $11k (exactly $11,089) dhamster, Alan McMillian
Swords and Sandals Medieval older $6.99 50 76% 1.5k $10k (exactly $10,485) Whiskeybarrel Studios
Loi The Lover older $11.99 27 74% 810 $9.7k (exactly $9,712) Insatiable Game Studio
Dungeon & Poker $6.99 13 92% 390 $2.7k (exactly $2,726) Vansonstudio
FlashBoss $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Odiin
Cromania · EA $6.99 6 100% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) Momoiu Cerasela Nicoleta
Sheva $6.99 5 60% 150 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Goldtusks
Hybrid Beasts $7.99 4 50% 120 $959 (exactly $959) Beastbits
FULL BET - FIGHTING CASINO - $19.99 1 100% 30 $600 (exactly $600) FlatMountain
Shell of the coward $9.99 2 50% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Jacquey Arthur
Just Cat Slap $2.99 6 100% 180 $538 (exactly $538) Tara Turu Studio

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