Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Souls-like

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Class-Based Souls-like?

Class-Based + Souls-like

Only 16 developers shipped a Class-Based Souls-like 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, Dimraeth, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $18k, ×12 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $580k, ×392 the market median. Revenue is up 4535% on the market; 29 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 12.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 4535% on the market, 29 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Souls-like
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: $3.4k → $358 → $24k → $2.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Souls-like: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $898 (exactly $898)
Median $18k (exactly $17,988)
Top 25% $129k (exactly $128,871)
Top 5% $586k (exactly $586,473)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 40
Announced 29
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 up 4535% on the market, supply 65% 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
Souls-like
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low 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, Souls-like; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action RPG, Action-Adventure, RPG
Price point
$13.99 typical · top 25% priced $21.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, Isometric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $21.99 or above; the middle game at $13.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 3,235 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $900, median $18k, 1 in 4 over $120k, 1 in 20 over $580k.

3 in 10 developers made under $900. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 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. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  10. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  11. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced
  12. + ManagementPoor odds26 devs · median $8.1k · 64 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Dimraeth 2026 · EA · $586k Heretical 2024 · EA · $420k Serpent's Gaze 2026 · EA · $331k ZENONIA 1 2026 · $129k MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme 2026 · EA · $49k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Dimraeth · EA $21.99 889 80% 27k $586k (exactly $586,473) Mudtek
Heretical · EA $14.99 933 84% 28k $420k (exactly $419,570) Three Swords Studio
Serpent's Gaze · EA $14.99 737 88% 22k $331k (exactly $331,429) Feeble Minds
ZENONIA 1 $9.99 430 80% 13k $129k (exactly $128,871) Com2us Holdings, CFK Co., Ltd.
MÖRK BORG Heresy Supreme · EA $19.99 81 77% 2.4k $49k (exactly $48,576) Morbidware
White Lavender older $4.99 266 92% 8.0k $40k (exactly $39,820) Sokpop Collective, Tom van den Boogaart
Nullpoint Protocol $14.99 62 61% 1.9k $28k (exactly $27,881) Everbloom Games
Mortal Rite · EA $14.99 53 62% 1.6k $24k (exactly $23,834) Round Toast Studios
Slash or Die older $4.99 150 84% 4.5k $22k (exactly $22,455) ClickGames
Dead Wells: The Devil Fragment $14.99 40 70% 1.2k $18k (exactly $17,988) Echo7Project
Heart of Gaia $13.99 7 57% 210 $2.9k (exactly $2,938) Brokentail Games
Hybrid Blood · EA $11.99 3 100% 90 $1.1k (exactly $1,079) Huggman

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