Do I ship it?

GamesBeat 'em upBeat 'em up + Artificial Intelligence

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an AI Beat 'em up?

Beat 'em up + Artificial Intelligence

Only 9 developers shipped an AI Beat 'em up 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, Little Fighter 2 Remastered, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×3.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $160; 1 in 20 cleared $840k, ×1775 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 16 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Beat 'em up + Artificial Intelligence
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $299 → $327 → $91k → $52k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Beat 'em up + Artificial Intelligence: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $158 (exactly $158)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,797)
Top 25% $78k (exactly $78,248)
Top 5% $843k (exactly $843,228)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 36
Announced 16
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 flat on the market, supply 50% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Beat 'em up
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Artificial Intelligence
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Beat 'em up
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 77% positive over 2,634 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $160, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $78k, 1 in 20 over $840k.

3 in 10 developers made under $160. 16 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Beat 'em up with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + LGBTQ+Fair14 devs · median $76k · 13 announced
  2. + RhythmFair17 devs · median $4.5k · 15 announced
  3. + CollectathonFair25 devs · median $1.2k · 20 announced
  4. + Score AttackFair36 devs · median $539 · 41 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair11 devs · median $537 · 8 announced
  6. + Tower DefenseFair14 devs · median $416 · 19 announced
  7. + NinjaLong shot29 devs · median $359 · 30 announced
  8. + Combat RacingLong shot15 devs · median $89 · 15 announced
  9. + Character Action GamePoor odds12 devs · median $58k · 37 announced
  10. + LootPoor odds20 devs · median $13k · 29 announced
  11. + Co-opPoor odds74 devs · median $11k · 125 announced
  12. + Online Co-OpPoor odds45 devs · median $11k · 71 announced

All 126 pairs on the Beat 'em up page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Little Fighter 2 Remastered $15.88 1,770 76% 53k $843k (exactly $843,228) Little Fighter Co Pty Ltd, Marti Wong
Warrior of Lust $11.99 255 79% 7.7k $92k (exactly $91,724) Aerisetta
Femtazio $9.99 304 81% 9.1k $91k (exactly $91,109) Aerisetta
Femboy Futa Mania 🌶️ $14.99 174 71% 5.2k $78k (exactly $78,248) Lewd Star
FUTA FIGHT & FUCK 🥊 $14.99 115 92% 3.5k $52k (exactly $51,716) BanzaiProject
Shadow Gangs older $24.99 36 83% 1.1k $27k (exactly $26,989) JKM corp
Project Beril / 贝丽尔养成计划 older $9.99 63 88% 1.9k $19k (exactly $18,881) SlimeSmile
KAPITAL PUNISHMENT 22XX · EA older $4.99 57 94% 1.7k $8.5k (exactly $8,533) Morningstar Game Studio, Dr. Shameless… (Morningstar Game Studio, Dr. Shameless Cat Games)
cyan older $1.99 76 57% 2.3k $4.5k (exactly $4,537) Aged Immortals
Dungeon Warriors · EA older $5.99 25 52% 750 $4.5k (exactly $4,492) FireStone Studio
Lone Warrior's Fist $5.99 10 100% 300 $1.8k (exactly $1,797) CreatiCell Games
MAGA Simulator 2077 $1.99 4 100% 120 $239 (exactly $239) Luke Gayson
Synergy Strike $5.25 1 100% 30 $158 (exactly $158) strangeboltz
QUICKN $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) g_sholar
Robot Rampage $9.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Robert MacRae

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