Do I ship it?

Games › PvP › PvP + Class-Based

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a PvP Class-Based game?

PvP + Class-Based

Of 65 developers who shipped a paid PvP 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.. 5 in 10 of the games here are free to play and sit outside these figures. 254 more are announced, ×5.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $4.1k, ×2.7 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $700; 1 in 20 cleared $3.6M, ×2411 the market median. Revenue is up 165% on the market; 254 games are announced against 43 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 165% on the market, 254 announced, ×5.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
PvP + Class-Based
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 65
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $359 → $3.3k → $297 → $1.3k → $5.8k → $2.2k → $4.3k (still earning) → $6.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for PvP + Class-Based: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 65
Bottom 30% $693 (exactly $693)
Median $4.1k (exactly $4,075)
Top 25% $61k (exactly $61,139)
Top 5% $3.6M (exactly $3,612,296)
Developers, 2 yr 65
Released games 252
Announced 254
Effort 8 / 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 165% on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 45%, 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.

PvP
effort 8 / 10 · low · authoritative servers, latency compensation, cheating
Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
PvP, Class-Based; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Shooter, Character Customization
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Third Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 127,999 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $700, median $4.1k, 1 in 4 over $61k, 1 in 20 over $3.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $700. 7 in 10 of the 48 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 254 games are announced against 43 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

PvP with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + BaseballFair6 devs · median $7.6k · 9 announced
  2. + TransportationFair10 devs · median $5.7k · 11 announced
  3. + BasketballFair25 devs · median $2.6k · 28 announced
  4. + Football (American)Fair17 devs · median $1.8k · 12 announced
  5. + BikesFair10 devs · median $1.5k · 7 announced
  6. + GolfFair29 devs · median $1.4k · 34 announced
  7. + World War IFair12 devs · median $1.3k · 14 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair36 devs · median $1.2k · 48 announced
  9. + BilliardsFair18 devs · median $1.1k · 12 announced
  10. + TennisLong shot17 devs · median $899 · 15 announced
  11. + TypingLong shot28 devs · median $719 · 31 announced
  12. + SpellingLong shot14 devs · median $719 · 17 announced

All 247 pairs on the PvP page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

The Elder Scrolls® Online 2017 · $81M WARDOGS 2026 · EA · $70M BattleBit Remastered 2023 · EA · $57M Marathon 2026 · $54M Chivalry: Medieval Warfare 2012 · $33M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Elder Scrolls® Online older $19.99 134,421 82% 4.0M $81M (exactly $80,612,274) ZeniMax Online Studios
WARDOGS · EA $39.99 58,250 81% 1.7M $70M (exactly $69,882,525) BULKHEAD
BattleBit Remastered · EA older $14.99 127,680 82% 3.8M $57M (exactly $57,417,696) SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, TheLiquidHorse
Marathon $39.99 44,919 81% 1.3M $54M (exactly $53,889,324) Bungie
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare older $24.99 44,486 83% 1.3M $33M (exactly $33,351,154) Torn Banner Studios
Isonzo older $39.99 14,434 85% 433k $17M (exactly $17,316,470) BlackMill Games
Onward $24.99 8,621 69% 259k $6.5M (exactly $6,463,164) Downpour Interactive
Gallipoli $29.99 4,015 78% 120k $3.6M (exactly $3,612,296) BlackMill Games
Primal Carnage: Extinction older $12.99 8,283 84% 248k $3.2M (exactly $3,227,885) Circle Five Studios, Pub Games
SpiritVale · EA $14.99 4,755 48% 143k $2.1M (exactly $2,138,324) Baikun Interactive
Forefront $27.99 1,913 84% 57k $1.6M (exactly $1,606,346) Triangle Factory
The Midnight Walkers · EA $19.99 1,479 54% 44k $887k (exactly $886,956) Oneway Ticket Studio
Heroes of Valor · EA $14.99 1,324 90% 40k $595k (exactly $595,403) Fancy Cat Interactive
Neighbors: Suburban Warfare · EA $9.99 1,906 66% 57k $571k (exactly $571,228) Invisible Walls
Down with the Ship · EA $14.99 817 93% 25k $367k (exactly $367,405) Iron Anchor Games

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