Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Top-Down Shooter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Top-Down Shooter Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Top-Down Shooter

Of 21 developers who shipped a Top-Down Shooter 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.. 52 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 13 developers shipped in the last year and 52 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 52 announced, ×4.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Top-Down Shooter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $359 → $8.6k → $628 → $358 → $897 → $3.1k (still earning) → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Top-Down Shooter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $360 (exactly $360)
Top 25% $2.7k (exactly $2,695)
Top 5% $13k (exactly $12,724)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 64
Announced 52
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 40% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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
Top-Down Shooter
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high 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, Top-Down Shooter; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action Roguelike, PvE
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Top-Down
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 310 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $360, 1 in 4 over $2.6k, 1 in 20 over $12k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. All of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 52 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 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

SYNTHETIK 2 2021 · EA · $1.9M SNKRX 2021 · $377k Zombie Builder Defense 2 2023 · $63k Kritter: Defend Together 2026 · $33k Zombo Buster Advance 2020 · $28k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SYNTHETIK 2 · EA older $19.99 3,202 81% 96k $1.9M (exactly $1,920,239) Flow Fire Games
SNKRX older $2.99 4,198 94% 126k $377k (exactly $376,561) a327ex
Zombie Builder Defense 2 older $9.99 210 84% 6.3k $63k (exactly $62,937) Noham Games
Kritter: Defend Together $9.99 109 86% 3.3k $33k (exactly $32,667) LJF Games
Zombo Buster Advance older $4.99 184 82% 5.5k $28k (exactly $27,545) FIREBEAST
Phoenix Force older $0.99 658 83% 20k $20k (exactly $19,543) Awoker Games
Neon Striker · EA $4.99 85 87% 2.6k $13k (exactly $12,724) Zeno's Adventure Team, Nickonhawk Games
Battle Craft older $17.99 16 81% 480 $8.6k (exactly $8,635) Yaremchuk
Let Him Cook · EA older $6.99 32 96% 960 $6.7k (exactly $6,710) Manny Feliciano, HF Studios
Cosmic Carnage $4.49 37 94% 1.1k $5.0k (exactly $4,984) LionSword
Make It Count $7.99 14 50% 420 $3.4k (exactly $3,356) Sky Games
Lone Survivors $4.99 21 90% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) GreatColtini Industries
Grimdark Survivors $4.99 18 5% 540 $2.7k (exactly $2,695) Hityara games
ZedFall: Outbreak · EA $9.99 6 100% 180 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) CaptainJaySolo
Triple Swap Tower $7.99 5 100% 150 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) LUJA Studio
Blazing Balls $5.99 5 100% 150 $898 (exactly $898) Zgrzib
Running Riot $2.99 10 100% 300 $897 (exactly $897) Party Moose Games

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