Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Local Co-Op

Only 16 developers shipped a Local Co-Op Class-Based 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, Sunderfolk, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 31 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $4.2k, ×2.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $2.8M, ×1892 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 31 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 31 announced, ×3.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $917k → $10k → $899 → $76k → $899 (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $4.2k (exactly $4,196)
Top 25% $76k (exactly $75,546)
Top 5% $2.8M (exactly $2,834,433)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 49
Announced 31
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $13.99

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 70% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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
Local Co-Op
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
Class-Based, Local Co-Op; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Action, Action RPG
Price point
$13.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics, 2D, Isometric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $13.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 3,600 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 $4.2k, 1 in 4 over $75k, 1 in 20 over $2.8M.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 6 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 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

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 2019 · $17M Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2022 · $16M Risk of Rain Returns 2023 · $11M Rabbit and Steel 2024 · $4.6M Chronicon 2020 · $3.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 older $59.99 9,375 93% 281k $17M (exactly $16,872,188) SANDLOT
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands older $29.99 17,779 70% 533k $16M (exactly $15,995,766) Gearbox Software
Risk of Rain Returns older $14.99 24,795 89% 744k $11M (exactly $11,150,312) Hopoo Games
Rabbit and Steel older $14.99 10,159 96% 305k $4.6M (exactly $4,568,502) mino_dev
Chronicon older $13.99 8,822 94% 265k $3.7M (exactly $3,702,593) Subworld
Sunderfolk $49.99 1,890 93% 57k $2.8M (exactly $2,834,433) Secret Door
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN older $59.99 1,256 58% 38k $2.3M (exactly $2,260,423) YUKE'S
Stolen Realm older $19.99 3,470 84% 104k $2.1M (exactly $2,080,959) Burst2Flame Games
Dungeons of Sundaria older $9.99 3,061 74% 92k $917k (exactly $917,382) Industry Games
Eslabong · EA $14.99 1,077 95% 32k $484k (exactly $484,327) shirowita
Kingdom of Night $19.99 326 86% 9.8k $196k (exactly $195,502) Friends of Safety
Final Knight · EA $13.99 180 77% 5.4k $76k (exactly $75,546) 2oclocksoft
SNOW BROS. SPECIAL: ANNIVERSARY EDITION $29.99 32 78% 960 $29k (exactly $28,790) CRT GAMES
Nullpoint Protocol $14.99 62 61% 1.9k $28k (exactly $27,881) Everbloom Games
War of Wheels · EA $14.99 13 100% 390 $5.8k (exactly $5,846) Dreambits Studio
All Systems Operational $9.99 14 100% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) Seatoad LLC
Shred The Undead $9.99 3 100% 90 $899 (exactly $899) Citizens' Loft Interactive LLC
Iron Legacy · EA $9.99 3 100% 90 $899 (exactly $899) Static Fluid

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