Do I ship it?

Games › Combat › Combat + Fishing

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Combat Fishing game?

Combat + Fishing

Of 30 developers who shipped a Combat Fishing 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.. 63 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $5.5k, ×8.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.8M, ×3023 the market median. Revenue is up 150% on the market; 63 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 8.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 150% on the market, 63 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Fishing
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 30
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $10k → $3.8k → $43k → $4.5k → $64k → $4.5k → $43k (still earning) → $1.9M (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Fishing: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 30
Bottom 30% $1.7k (exactly $1,678)
Median $5.5k (exactly $5,513)
Top 25% $69k (exactly $68,554)
Top 5% $1.9M (exactly $1,898,650)
Developers, 2 yr 30
Released games 63
Announced 63
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 150% on the market, supply 15% 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
Fishing
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, Fishing; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Co-op
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 76,818 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.7k, median $5.5k, 1 in 4 over $68k, 1 in 20 over $1.8M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.7k. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 63 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Combat with a different second tag, 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

Sun Haven 2023 · $17M How to Fish 2026 · $14M Melvor Idle 2021 · $4.4M Rune Factory 5 2022 · $2.3M Doloc Town 2026 · $1.9M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sun Haven older $24.99 22,069 79% 662k $17M (exactly $16,545,129) Pixel Sprout Studios
How to Fish $7.99 57,661 95% 1.7M $14M (exactly $13,821,342) Dazed Games
Melvor Idle older $9.99 14,630 90% 439k $4.4M (exactly $4,384,611) Games by Malcs
Rune Factory 5 older $39.99 1,940 76% 58k $2.3M (exactly $2,327,418) Marvelous Inc.
Doloc Town $19.99 3,166 94% 95k $1.9M (exactly $1,898,650) RedSaw Games Studio
FlyKnight $5.99 10,432 96% 313k $1.9M (exactly $1,874,630) Wabbaboy
Rune Factory 4 Special older $29.99 2,070 88% 62k $1.9M (exactly $1,862,379) Marvelous Inc.
Phoenotopia: Awakening older $19.99 2,755 82% 83k $1.7M (exactly $1,652,173) Cape Cosmic
Nice Day for Fishing $19.99 2,609 86% 78k $1.6M (exactly $1,564,617) FusionPlay
Rune Factory 3 Special older $39.99 734 94% 22k $881k (exactly $880,580) Marvelous Inc.
FATE: Reawakened $24.99 758 73% 23k $568k (exactly $568,273) gamigo US Inc., Tableflip Entertainment… (gamigo US Inc., Tableflip Entertainment AB)
OxyRail · EA $14.99 949 80% 28k $427k (exactly $426,765) OxygenTech Limited
Fish Hunters: Most Lethal Fishing Simulator 🐟 $9.99 562 58% 17k $168k (exactly $168,431) Pmdk23
Knights End $7.99 286 90% 8.6k $69k (exactly $68,554) Knight Shift Studios
FISH FEAR ME $9.99 214 84% 6.4k $64k (exactly $64,136) HEATHER FLOWERS
Crabmeat $7.99 181 86% 5.4k $43k (exactly $43,386) Nicholas McDonnell, Mitchell Pasmans

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