Do I ship it?

Games › Combat › Combat + Level Editor

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Combat Level Editor game?

Combat + Level Editor

Of 54 developers who shipped a Combat Level Editor 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.. 131 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $410k, ×653 the market median. Revenue is up 115% on the market; 131 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 115% on the market, 131 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Level Editor
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 54
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $450 → $3.6k → $1.2k → $6.2k → $28k → $1.2k → $2.4k (still earning) → $450 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Level Editor: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 54
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,799)
Top 25% $22k (exactly $21,578)
Top 5% $410k (exactly $410,086)
Developers, 2 yr 54
Released games 156
Announced 131
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 115% on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 22%, 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
Level Editor
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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, Level Editor; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Sandbox, Building
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 61% positive over 8,837 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 $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $410k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 131 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 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

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition 2020 · $39M VTOL VR 2017 · $18M Solasta: Crown of the Magister 2021 · $18M Sudden Strike 4 2017 · $3.7M Meet Your Maker 2023 · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition older $34.99 37,093 84% 1.1M $39M (exactly $38,936,522) World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten… (World's Edge, Tantalus Media, Forgotten Empires)
VTOL VR older $29.99 19,885 98% 597k $18M (exactly $17,890,534) Boundless Dynamics, LLC
Solasta: Crown of the Magister older $29.99 19,680 87% 590k $18M (exactly $17,706,096) Tactical Adventures
Sudden Strike 4 older $19.99 6,249 78% 187k $3.7M (exactly $3,747,525) Kite Games
Meet Your Maker older $19.99 3,013 73% 90k $1.8M (exactly $1,806,896) Behaviour Interactive Inc.
s&box $9.99 5,118 46% 154k $1.5M (exactly $1,533,865) Facepunch Studios
Hunt Down The Freeman older $9.99 3,785 54% 114k $1.1M (exactly $1,134,364) Royal Rudius Entertainment
Wizordum $19.99 880 91% 26k $528k (exactly $527,736) Emberheart Games
Cloudbuilt older $19.99 798 86% 24k $479k (exactly $478,561) Coilworks
Warside $24.99 547 68% 16k $410k (exactly $410,086) LAVABIRD
Annihilate The Spance · EA $29.99 347 90% 10k $312k (exactly $312,196) Skyglow Softworks
Overthrown $24.99 255 55% 7.7k $191k (exactly $191,174) Brimstone
Shotgun Cop Man $9.99 633 96% 19k $190k (exactly $189,710) DeadToast Entertainment
Age of Clicks · EA $12.99 472 65% 14k $184k (exactly $183,938) David Ius
Plastic Battlegrounds · EA $9.99 281 89% 8.4k $84k (exactly $84,216) Simulated Minds
Age Of Warbots $9.99 160 83% 4.8k $48k (exactly $47,952) VDimension
Only Lead Can Stop Them $9.99 144 78% 4.3k $43k (exactly $43,157) Warcry Interactive

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