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Should I ship a Card Game Hack and Slash game?
Hack and Slash + Card Game
Only 9 developers shipped a Card Game Hack and Slash 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, 9th Dawn Remake, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $11k, ×17 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $3.0k; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×393 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 25 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $3.0k (exactly $2,998) |
|---|---|
| Median | $11k (exactly $10,795) |
| Top 25% | $23k (exactly $22,789) |
| Top 5% | $247k (exactly $246,566) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 43 |
| Announced | 25 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $14.99 |
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 down 75% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Hack and Slash
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Card Game
- effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Hack and Slash, Card Game
- Price point
- $14.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 33,615 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $3.0k. 25 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Hack and Slash with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Turn-BasedStrong odds
- + Turn-Based CombatStrong odds
- + VampiresFair
- + ModernFair
- + IdlerFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + RomancePoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + DestructionPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + AutomationPoor odds
Comparable games
Book of Demons 2018 · $6.0M 
Hand of Fate 2015 · $4.8M 
Hand of Fate 2 2017 · $4.7M 
One Step From Eden 2020 · $3.6M 
Dice & Fold 2024 · $1.4M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Book of Demons | older | $24.99 | 8,010 91% | 240k | $6.0M (exactly $6,005,097) | Thing Trunk |
| | Hand of Fate | older | $19.99 | 8,009 89% | 240k | $4.8M (exactly $4,802,997) | Defiant Development |
| | Hand of Fate 2 | older | $29.99 | 5,273 84% | 158k | $4.7M (exactly $4,744,118) | Defiant Development |
| | One Step From Eden | older | $19.99 | 6,039 94% | 181k | $3.6M (exactly $3,621,588) | Thomas Moon Kang |
| | Dice & Fold | older | $12.99 | 3,491 83% | 105k | $1.4M (exactly $1,360,443) | Tinymice Entertainment |
 | Munchkin Digital | older | $14.99 | 1,352 76% | 41k | $608k (exactly $607,994) | Dire Wolf |
 | FORCED SHOWDOWN | older | $19.99 | 491 82% | 15k | $294k (exactly $294,453) | BetaDwarf |
 | 9th Dawn Remake | $15.99 | 514 86% | 15k | $247k (exactly $246,566) | Valorware | |
 | The Chronicles of Dragon Wing - Reborn | older | $19.99 | 158 77% | 4.7k | $95k (exactly $94,753) | Dragon Wing Studio |
 | Forest Heroes | $9.99 | 278 83% | 8.3k | $83k (exactly $83,317) | Hoochoo Game Studios | |
 | Deadhaus Sonata | · EA | $19.99 | 38 68% | 1.1k | $23k (exactly $22,789) | Apocalypse Studios |
 | Brave × Junction | $10.99 | 62 83% | 1.9k | $20k (exactly $20,441) | Rideon,Inc., RideonJapan | |
 | School of Magic: Deck & Slash | · EA | $19.99 | 18 66% | 540 | $11k (exactly $10,795) | PartTimeIndie |
 | 鸭鸭大冒险 (Duck Duck Adventure) | $8.99 | 29 93% | 870 | $7.8k (exactly $7,821) | 清友工作室 | |
 | Novel Rogue | $19.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $3.0k (exactly $2,998) | Exe Create Inc. | |
 | The Dreamers Foresight | $14.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $450 (exactly $450) | The Random Generator Expert | |
 | The Hunt for the Lich King | $3.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Federico Poli |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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