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Should I ship a Building Swordplay game?
Swordplay + Building
Only 12 developers shipped a Building Swordplay game 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, Forgotten Seas, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $180 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 6 / 10 build. 6 developers shipped in the last year and 24 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $178 (exactly $178) |
| Top 25% | $9.0k (exactly $8,992) |
| Top 5% | $356k (exactly $356,108) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 39 |
| Announced | 24 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $11.99 |
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Swordplay, Building
- Price point
- $11.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 7 games average 78% positive over 617 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Swordplay with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Shoot 'Em UpLong shot
- + SamuraiPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
- + FightingPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
Comparable games
Kenshi 2018 · $89M 
Last Oasis 2020 · EA · $18M 
The Guild II Renaissance 2010 · $1.1M 
Driftland: The Magic Revival 2019 · $863k 
Shoppe Keep 2 2019 · $458k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Kenshi | older | $29.99 | 98,451 95% | 3.0M | $89M (exactly $88,576,365) | Lo-Fi Games |
| | Last Oasis | · EA older | $29.99 | 20,443 63% | 613k | $18M (exactly $18,392,567) | Donkey Crew |
| | The Guild II Renaissance | older | $9.99 | 3,540 82% | 106k | $1.1M (exactly $1,060,938) | Runeforge Game Studio |
| | Driftland: The Magic Revival | older | $19.99 | 1,439 73% | 43k | $863k (exactly $862,968) | Star Drifters |
| | Shoppe Keep 2 | older | $9.99 | 1,527 57% | 46k | $458k (exactly $457,642) | Strange Fire |
 | Forgotten Seas | $24.99 | 475 75% | 14k | $356k (exactly $356,108) | Pangea Game Studios | |
 | Robber Knight | · EA older | $39.99 | 284 64% | 8.5k | $341k (exactly $340,715) | Sartorian |
 | VALHALL: Harbinger | · EA older | $29.99 | 360 62% | 11k | $324k (exactly $323,892) | Blackrose Arts |
 | Ninja Village | older | $8.99 | 546 93% | 16k | $147k (exactly $147,256) | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd |
 | Eden Island | older | $14.99 | 232 58% | 7.0k | $104k (exactly $104,330) | Moon Studio |
 | Sengoku Voxel Castle With Zundamon | · EA | $12.99 | 106 95% | 3.2k | $41k (exactly $41,308) | KC Project |
 | Robin Hood: Sherwood Defenders | $11.99 | 25 44% | 750 | $9.0k (exactly $8,992) | MeanAstronauts | |
 | SurvivalWorld | · EA | $11.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) | Robert De Leon |
 | Knight of Noshland | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | Meow Burrito Games | |
 | No One's Island | · EA | $0.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $178 (exactly $178) | Rinthis Arathis |
 | Vasterra | $4.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $150 (exactly $150) | Pollo Solo Studio | |
 | ITribe | $14.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Keka | |
 | Kingdom Wars | $9.90 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Obsidiagon | |
 | RED BEES | $5.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Vox Mare |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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