Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Arcade

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Arcade Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Arcade

Of 66 developers who shipped an Arcade Class-Based game 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.. 101 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $750, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150. 101 games are announced against 44 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper, while revenue is down 45% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 45% on the market, 101 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Arcade
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 66
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $987 → $2.5k → $297 → $899 → $2.1k → $2.6k → $1.9k (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Arcade: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 66
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $748 (exactly $748)
Top 25% $5.0k (exactly $4,984)
Top 5% $76k (exactly $75,546)
Developers, 2 yr 66
Released games 157
Announced 101
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.00

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 down 45% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based, Arcade; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Combat, Action Roguelike
Price point
$5.00 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.00.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 31,835 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 $750, 1 in 4 over $4.9k, 1 in 20 over $75k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 8 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 101 games are announced against 44 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair19 devs · median $6.6k · 22 announced
  2. + Bullet HeavenFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 38 announced
  3. + SupernaturalLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  4. + 2D PlatformerLong shot26 devs · median $539 · 30 announced
  5. + FPSPoor odds22 devs · median $70k · 70 announced
  6. + MMORPGPoor odds7 devs · median $61k · 57 announced
  7. + Base BuildingPoor odds18 devs · median $33k · 44 announced
  8. + WarPoor odds17 devs · median $32k · 59 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds16 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  11. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  12. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Starship Troopers: Extermination 2024 · $27M Risk of Rain Returns 2023 · $11M Primal Carnage: Extinction 2015 · $3.2M War Dust VR: 32v32 Battlefields 2020 · $1.1M SNKRX 2021 · $377k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Starship Troopers: Extermination $29.99 29,724 80% 892k $27M (exactly $26,742,683) Offworld
Risk of Rain Returns older $14.99 24,795 89% 744k $11M (exactly $11,150,312) Hopoo Games
Primal Carnage: Extinction older $12.99 8,283 84% 248k $3.2M (exactly $3,227,885) Circle Five Studios, Pub Games
War Dust VR: 32v32 Battlefields older $24.99 1,489 80% 45k $1.1M (exactly $1,116,303) raptor lab
SNKRX older $2.99 4,198 94% 126k $377k (exactly $376,561) a327ex
Project Sparrow · EA older $9.99 1,067 88% 32k $320k (exactly $319,780) Inspire Game Studios
Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks $19.99 493 85% 15k $296k (exactly $295,652) Caged Element
Rollers of the Realm older $9.99 375 90% 11k $112k (exactly $112,388) Phantom Compass
Beetleball $7.99 354 93% 11k $85k (exactly $84,854) Bugfight Studio
TrinityS older $14.99 182 69% 5.5k $82k (exactly $81,845) Indie-us Games
Final Knight · EA $13.99 180 77% 5.4k $76k (exactly $75,546) 2oclocksoft
Dice People $2.99 719 90% 22k $64k (exactly $64,494) Mateusk2m, Manodeix
Luck & Loot $7.99 138 90% 4.1k $33k (exactly $33,079) SMARTcreative
Backpack Survivors · EA $11.99 82 68% 2.5k $29k (exactly $29,495) CM Game Studio
SNOW BROS. SPECIAL: ANNIVERSARY EDITION $29.99 32 78% 960 $29k (exactly $28,790) CRT GAMES
Devil Jam $7.99 84 69% 2.5k $20k (exactly $20,135) Rogueside
MAGE: Mega Awesome Gregarious Encounters $9.99 29 89% 870 $8.7k (exactly $8,691) FunRug Studio

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