Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Swordplay

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Swordplay Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Swordplay

Only 11 developers shipped a Swordplay 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, NORSE: Oath of Blood, 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, ×5.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $720, ×0.5 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540. 31 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.2 per shipper, while revenue is up 65% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 65% on the market, 31 announced, ×5.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Swordplay
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 11
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $210 → $57k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Swordplay: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 11
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $719 (exactly $719)
Top 25% $57k (exactly $56,970)
Top 5% $2.7M (exactly $2,660,990)
Developers, 2 yr 11
Released games 37
Announced 31
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 65% on the market, supply 20% 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
Swordplay
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 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, Swordplay
Price point
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 59% positive over 2,892 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $720, 1 in 4 over $56k, 1 in 20 over $2.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.2 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 NORSE: Oath of Blood 2026 · $2.7M Robber Knight 2022 · EA · $341k Broken Edge 2022 · $267k Talisman: Digital 5th Edition 2024 · $204k
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
NORSE: Oath of Blood $34.99 2,535 56% 76k $2.7M (exactly $2,660,990) Arctic Hazard
Robber Knight · EA older $39.99 284 64% 8.5k $341k (exactly $340,715) Sartorian
Broken Edge older $14.99 593 86% 18k $267k (exactly $266,672) TREBUCHET
Talisman: Digital 5th Edition $29.99 227 70% 6.8k $204k (exactly $204,232) Nomad Games
Dredgers older $11.99 471 88% 14k $169k (exactly $169,419) Pirate-Rob
Ironlights older $19.99 146 78% 4.4k $88k (exactly $87,556) E McNeill
Telepath Tactics Liberated older $19.99 120 85% 3.6k $72k (exactly $71,964) Sinister Design
Trials of Valor $18.99 100 95% 3.0k $57k (exactly $56,970) Armored Goblin
Nasty Rogue older $10.99 102 76% 3.1k $34k (exactly $33,629) Voxelblade Studio
Marks of Ki $5.99 5 20% 150 $898 (exactly $898) KieGames
Island of Challenge $1.99 13 92% 390 $776 (exactly $776) Doorway Mountain Studios
Card Maker Simulator $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Níkolas Santos
Fur and Void $9.99 2 0% 60 $599 (exactly $599) DFS
Sears: The Sky Frontier $5.99 3 33% 90 $539 (exactly $539) Acoma Games
Rally the Parties · EA $2.99 3 66% 90 $269 (exactly $269) TK Works
Gamers Club Repeat $6.99 1 100% 30 $210 (exactly $210) S Xavier Uy

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