Do I ship it?

Games › FPS › FPS + Beat 'em up

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Beat 'em up FPS?

FPS + Beat 'em up

Of 34 developers who shipped a Beat 'em up FPS 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.. 39 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $420 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 17 developers shipped in the last year and 39 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 30% on the market, 39 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Beat 'em up
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 34
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $89 → $449 → $416 → $239 → $419 → $239 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Beat 'em up: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 34
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $299 (exactly $299)
Top 25% $6.5k (exactly $6,501)
Top 5% $251k (exactly $251,149)
Developers, 2 yr 34
Released games 118
Announced 39
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 30% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 24%, 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.

FPS
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Beat 'em up
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
FPS, Beat 'em up; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Physics
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Atmospheric, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 65% positive over 2,793 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $300, 1 in 4 over $6.5k, 1 in 20 over $250k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 39 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

FPS with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + LGBTQ+Fair28 devs · median $32k · 22 announced
  2. + Dating SimFair47 devs · median $19k · 36 announced
  3. + IdlerFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  4. + GamblingFair24 devs · median $4.1k · 22 announced
  5. + FaithFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 12 announced
  6. + Precision PlatformerFair37 devs · median $1.6k · 38 announced
  7. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $1.4k · 12 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair172 devs · median $1.2k · 190 announced
  9. + RunnerLong shot39 devs · median $958 · 43 announced
  10. + Action RTSLong shot16 devs · median $899 · 21 announced
  11. + Bullet HellLong shot130 devs · median $629 · 145 announced
  12. + DogsLong shot6 devs · median $594 · 7 announced

All 216 pairs on the FPS page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Paint the Town Red 2021 · $17M Beyond Sandbox 2026 · EA · $733k Zeno Clash 2009 · $649k Zeno Clash 2 2013 · $330k Brush Burial: Gutter World 2025 · $251k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Paint the Town Red older $19.99 29,141 96% 874k $17M (exactly $17,475,858) South East Games
Beyond Sandbox · EA $19.99 1,223 39% 37k $733k (exactly $733,433) Atlas XR
Zeno Clash older $9.99 2,164 88% 65k $649k (exactly $648,551) ACE Team
Zeno Clash 2 older $14.99 733 84% 22k $330k (exactly $329,630) ACE Team
Brush Burial: Gutter World $9.99 838 93% 25k $251k (exactly $251,149) Knife Demon Software
Zombie Training Simulator older $19.99 227 92% 6.8k $136k (exactly $136,132) Acceleroto, Inc.
Saber Fight VR older $14.99 162 65% 4.9k $73k (exactly $72,851) Saber Fight VR
LUST Eternal 🔞 $4.99 212 55% 6.4k $32k (exactly $31,736) Octo Games
TEXNOPLAZM · EA $15.99 65 98% 2.0k $31k (exactly $31,180) Mothership Loudspeakerz
MoonMiners · EA $4.99 200 93% 6.0k $30k (exactly $29,940) MIROWIN
Drunkn Bar Fight 2 VR · EA $12.99 64 50% 1.9k $25k (exactly $24,941) Yooperlite
Rebel Engine $19.99 27 81% 810 $16k (exactly $16,192) Seven Leaf Clover
Melon Simulator™ $4.99 74 85% 2.2k $11k (exactly $11,078) Delirious & Co.
Captain Gazman Day Of The Rage $6.99 31 96% 930 $6.5k (exactly $6,501) Les Kalifas, Kazarma, VEB Videospielewe… (Les Kalifas, Kazarma, VEB Videospielewerk 'Bewegungsdruiden')
REAPER $2.99 59 84% 1.8k $5.3k (exactly $5,292) DOSMan Games

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