Do I ship it?

GamesCombatCombat + Demons

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Demon Combat game?

Combat + Demons

Of 191 developers who shipped a Demon Combat 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.. 370 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $450k, ×717 the market median. Revenue is up 40% on the market; 370 games are announced against 112 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 40% on the market, 370 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Demons
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 191
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.3k → $539 → $2.1k → $1.3k → $629 → $3.2k → $599 (still earning) → $213 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Demons: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 191
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $898 (exactly $898)
Top 25% $7.6k (exactly $7,645)
Top 5% $451k (exactly $450,570)
Developers, 2 yr 191
Released games 545
Announced 370
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.66

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

Free games: 19%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Combat
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Demons
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Combat; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, RPG
Price point
$6.66 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $6.66.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 15,082 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $900, 1 in 4 over $7.6k, 1 in 20 over $450k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 99 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 370 games are announced against 112 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Combat with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Real-Time with PauseStrong odds14 devs · median $15k · 12 announced
  2. + 4XFair32 devs · median $3.8k · 48 announced
  3. + TypingFair20 devs · median $2.2k · 26 announced
  4. + VampiresFair54 devs · median $1.9k · 64 announced
  5. + SnowFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 24 announced
  6. + Walking SimulatorFair51 devs · median $599 · 61 announced
  7. + Match 3Long shot13 devs · median $359 · 16 announced
  8. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds32 devs · median $55k · 85 announced
  9. + Political SimPoor odds14 devs · median $49k · 22 announced
  10. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds21 devs · median $31k · 47 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds23 devs · median $19k · 45 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds52 devs · median $16k · 90 announced

All 248 pairs on the Combat page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles older $59.99 16,545 87% 496k $30M (exactly $29,776,036) CyberConnect2
Zombie Army 4: Dead War older $49.99 10,028 86% 301k $15M (exactly $15,038,992) Rebellion
Metal: Hellsinger older $29.99 13,989 96% 420k $13M (exactly $12,585,903) The Outsiders
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 $59.99 2,879 83% 86k $5.2M (exactly $5,181,336) CyberConnect2
Carnal Instinct · EA older $29.99 5,407 82% 162k $4.9M (exactly $4,864,678) Team Carnal Instinct
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin older $29.99 5,004 92% 150k $4.5M (exactly $4,502,099) Edelweiss
Melvor Idle older $9.99 14,630 90% 439k $4.4M (exactly $4,384,611) Games by Malcs
Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand older $39.99 2,773 74% 83k $3.3M (exactly $3,326,768) Deck13
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem older $19.99 4,723 92% 142k $2.8M (exactly $2,832,383) Croteam, Timelock Studio
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered $29.99 3,042 90% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army $49.99 1,045 93% 31k $1.6M (exactly $1,567,186) ATLUS
Silly Polly Beast $19.99 2,278 90% 68k $1.4M (exactly $1,366,117) Anji
Painkiller $39.99 1,091 54% 33k $1.3M (exactly $1,308,873) Anshar Studios
Luna Abyss $29.99 923 86% 28k $830k (exactly $830,423) Kwalee Labs
A.I.L.A $29.99 889 81% 27k $800k (exactly $799,833) Pulsatrix Studios
The Devil Within: Satgat $24.99 795 78% 24k $596k (exactly $596,012) Newcore Games
Butcher's Creek $9.99 1,539 94% 46k $461k (exactly $461,238) David Szymanski
Trench Tales · EA $24.99 601 69% 18k $451k (exactly $450,570) Talking Drums

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