Do I ship it?

GamesBeat 'em upBeat 'em up + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Beat 'em up?

Beat 'em up + Modern

Only 12 developers shipped a Modern-Day 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, Femboy Futa Mania 🌶️, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $6.6k, ×14 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $78k, ×165 the market median. Revenue is up 3505% on the market; 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 14.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 3505% on the market, 20 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Beat 'em up + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.1k → $148 → $7.2k → $17k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Beat 'em up + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $148 (exactly $148)
Median $6.6k (exactly $6,638)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $13,486)
Top 5% $78k (exactly $78,248)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 31
Announced 20
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 3505% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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
Modern
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium 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
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 458 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 $6.6k, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $78k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 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
Judgment older $39.99 9,407 93% 282k $11M (exactly $11,285,578) RGG Studio
Lost Judgment older $39.99 7,461 93% 224k $9.0M (exactly $8,950,962) RGG Studio
River City Girls 2 older $39.99 1,552 85% 47k $1.9M (exactly $1,861,934) WayForward
Midnight Fight Express older $19.99 1,981 90% 59k $1.2M (exactly $1,188,006) Jacob Dzwinel
Femboy Futa Mania 🌶️ $14.99 174 71% 5.2k $78k (exactly $78,248) Lewd Star
Ogre Tale older $19.99 92 52% 2.8k $55k (exactly $55,172) MAGES. Inc.
Fugitive Free Rider $8.99 64 78% 1.9k $17k (exactly $17,261) Moka Sphere, SCON
Where They Cremate The Roadkill older $9.99 51 82% 1.5k $15k (exactly $15,285) The Gunseed Collab
Disco Samurai $9.99 45 88% 1.4k $13k (exactly $13,486) Pixel Fiber Games
Creepy Creepy Love $4.99 62 93% 1.9k $9.3k (exactly $9,281) BYYONI Entertainment
血姬:双生 (Vampiress: Eternal Duet) $9.99 24 58% 720 $7.2k (exactly $7,193) 织界者 (Realm Weaver Studio)
Great Tough Bikini 6 $2.99 74 70% 2.2k $6.6k (exactly $6,638) nStarcube
Tiger Simulator $1.99 6 100% 180 $358 (exactly $358) Guyish
Soul Machine $4.99 2 0% 60 $299 (exactly $299) Zanarka Studio
Boomer Brawler $0.99 5 100% 150 $148 (exactly $148) FzzyBzzy
Remonstrator $1.99 2 50% 60 $119 (exactly $119) Rev Team

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