Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Hack and Slash

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hack and Slash Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Hack and Slash

Of 55 developers who shipped a Hack and Slash Class-Based game 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.. 140 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×2.0 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $3.2M, ×2197 the market median. Revenue is up 160% on the market; 140 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 160% on the market, 140 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Hack and Slash
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 55
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.2k → $43k → $2.4k → $8.2k → $5.8k → $7.2k → $5.0k (still earning) → $1.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Hack and Slash: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 55
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $3.0k (exactly $2,994)
Top 25% $33k (exactly $32,667)
Top 5% $3.3M (exactly $3,290,905)
Developers, 2 yr 55
Released games 142
Announced 140
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 up 160% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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.

Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Hack and Slash
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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
Class-Based, Hack and Slash; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Action, Action RPG
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 23,059 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $3.0k, 1 in 4 over $32k, 1 in 20 over $3.2M.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 140 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair19 devs · median $6.6k · 22 announced
  2. + Bullet HeavenFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 38 announced
  3. + SupernaturalLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  4. + 2D PlatformerLong shot26 devs · median $539 · 30 announced
  5. + FPSPoor odds22 devs · median $70k · 70 announced
  6. + MMORPGPoor odds7 devs · median $61k · 57 announced
  7. + Base BuildingPoor odds18 devs · median $33k · 44 announced
  8. + WarPoor odds17 devs · median $32k · 59 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds16 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  11. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  12. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare 2012 · $33M EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 2019 · $17M The Slormancer 2025 · $4.2M Chronicon 2020 · $3.7M Heroes of Hammerwatch II 2025 · $3.5M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare older $24.99 44,486 83% 1.3M $33M (exactly $33,351,154) Torn Banner Studios
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 older $59.99 9,375 93% 281k $17M (exactly $16,872,188) SANDLOT
The Slormancer $19.99 6,926 81% 208k $4.2M (exactly $4,153,522) Slormite Studios
Chronicon older $13.99 8,822 94% 265k $3.7M (exactly $3,702,593) Subworld
Heroes of Hammerwatch II $19.99 5,806 82% 174k $3.5M (exactly $3,481,858) Crackshell
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel $14.99 7,318 82% 220k $3.3M (exactly $3,290,905) Games Farm, ARTillery
Dice & Fold older $12.99 3,491 83% 105k $1.4M (exactly $1,360,443) Tinymice Entertainment
Dungeons of Sundaria older $9.99 3,061 74% 92k $917k (exactly $917,382) Industry Games
Dimraeth · EA $21.99 889 80% 27k $586k (exactly $586,473) Mudtek
Svarog's Dream older $21.00 888 89% 27k $559k (exactly $559,440) VI Game Forge
Heretical · EA $14.99 933 84% 28k $420k (exactly $419,570) Three Swords Studio
Path of the Abyss $6.99 664 92% 20k $139k (exactly $139,241) Suzuki Suzuzou
Din's Champion $19.99 160 85% 4.8k $96k (exactly $95,952) Soldak Entertainment
Titans of the Past $24.99 108 83% 3.2k $81k (exactly $80,968) Devil's Dozen Games
Hunters Inc $14.99 155 56% 4.7k $70k (exactly $69,704) WYLDERZONE
Trials of Valor $18.99 100 95% 3.0k $57k (exactly $56,970) Armored Goblin

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