Do I ship it?

GamesCo-opCo-op + Rhythm

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Co-op Rhythm game?

Co-op + Rhythm

Of 29 developers who shipped a Co-op Rhythm 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.. 26 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $3.1k, ×2.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $4.6M, ×3124 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 26 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 26 announced, ×1.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + Rhythm
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 29
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.0k → $229k → $1.9k → $49k → $299 → $25k → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + Rhythm: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 29
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $3.1k (exactly $3,146)
Top 25% $36k (exactly $35,991)
Top 5% $4.7M (exactly $4,679,816)
Developers, 2 yr 29
Released games 80
Announced 26
Effort 7 / 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 down 75% on the market, supply 40% 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.

Co-op
effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
Rhythm
effort 3 / 10 · medium · audio sync, timing precision and music rights

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Co-op, Rhythm; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Arcade
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, Cute, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 46,060 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $3.1k, 1 in 4 over $35k, 1 in 20 over $4.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SuperheroFair9 devs · median $11k · 17 announced
  2. + Boomer ShooterFair16 devs · median $6.9k · 24 announced
  3. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 32 announced
  4. + NinjaFair13 devs · median $4.2k · 13 announced
  5. + TypingLong shot16 devs · median $810 · 13 announced
  6. + Word GameLong shot23 devs · median $267 · 23 announced
  7. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds58 devs · median $515k · 127 announced
  8. + World War IIPoor odds12 devs · median $372k · 23 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds48 devs · median $369k · 110 announced
  10. + TransportationPoor odds17 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $164k · 19 announced
  12. + Turn-BasedPoor odds12 devs · median $131k · 19 announced

All 230 pairs on the Co-op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Rhythm Doctor $19.99 25,021 98% 751k $15M (exactly $15,005,094) 7th Beat Games
Just Shapes & Beats older $19.99 24,041 97% 721k $14M (exactly $14,417,388) Berzerk Studio
A Dance of Fire and Ice older $5.99 78,688 94% 2.4M $14M (exactly $14,140,234) 7th Beat Games
Crypt of the NecroDancer older $14.99 23,593 95% 708k $11M (exactly $10,609,772) Brace Yourself Games
Rocksmith® 2014 Edition REMASTERED LEARN & PLAY $9.99 15,615 85% 468k $4.7M (exactly $4,679,816) Ubisoft - San Francisco, Ubisoft - Osaka
AudioSurf older $9.99 8,901 95% 267k $2.7M (exactly $2,667,630) Dylan Fitterer
Ratatan · EA $24.99 2,449 85% 73k $1.8M (exactly $1,836,015) TVT Co. Ltd., Ratata Arts
Beat Hazard older $9.99 5,072 95% 152k $1.5M (exactly $1,520,078) Cold Beam Games
Afterbeat (Project Arrhythmia) · EA older $14.99 2,452 95% 74k $1.1M (exactly $1,102,664) Vitamin Games
Beat Hazard 2 older $18.99 1,396 89% 42k $795k (exactly $795,301) Cold Beam Games
Rhythia · EA $3.99 2,029 83% 61k $243k (exactly $242,871) Capo Games
HYPERBEAT $14.99 381 99% 11k $171k (exactly $171,336) Dreamware Media
Archons $9.99 406 92% 12k $122k (exactly $121,678) BulletHell Studios
Barbie Project Friendship™ $39.99 41 80% 1.2k $49k (exactly $49,188) Xaloc Studios, Casual Brothers Ltd.
Bratz® Rhythm & Style $39.99 30 76% 900 $36k (exactly $35,991) Recotechnology S.L.
Band Space $19.99 46 78% 1.4k $28k (exactly $27,586) Smartmelon Games
Dance Eden $19.99 42 85% 1.3k $25k (exactly $25,187) DigiEden

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