Do I ship it?

GamesFightingFighting + Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Platformer Fighting game?

Fighting + Platformer

Of 31 developers who shipped a Platformer Fighting 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.. 33 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×1.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $69k, ×46 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 33 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 33 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Fighting + Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $299 → $297 → $8.7k → $7.2k → $2.2k → $479 (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Fighting + Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $2.2k (exactly $2,158)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,196)
Top 5% $69k (exactly $69,411)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 170
Announced 33
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 90% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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.

Fighting
effort 7 / 10 · low · frame data, hitboxes and rollback netcode
Platformer
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
Fighting, Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 2D Fighter, 2D Platformer
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, 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 78% positive over 7,507 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $2.2k, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $69k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Fighting with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SandboxStrong odds11 devs · median $76k · 8 announced
  2. + Score AttackLong shot13 devs · median $599 · 11 announced
  3. + Open WorldPoor odds12 devs · median $117k · 26 announced
  4. + Dark FantasyPoor odds11 devs · median $56k · 23 announced
  5. + Souls-likePoor odds8 devs · median $24k · 20 announced
  6. + SwordplayPoor odds13 devs · median $13k · 33 announced
  7. + HistoricalPoor odds9 devs · median $13k · 16 announced
  8. + CyberpunkPoor odds5 devs · median $9.6k · 18 announced
  9. + Local Co-OpPoor odds41 devs · median $9.4k · 45 announced
  10. + Co-opPoor odds45 devs · median $9.0k · 64 announced
  11. + Hack and SlashPoor odds29 devs · median $8.7k · 60 announced
  12. + AdventurePoor odds44 devs · median $7.2k · 104 announced

All 67 pairs on the Fighting page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ older $39.99 153,782 88% 4.6M $184M (exactly $184,492,265) Respawn Entertainment
Rivals of Aether older $29.99 33,284 96% 999k $30M (exactly $29,945,615) Aether Studios
Remember Me older $29.99 11,128 83% 334k $10M (exactly $10,011,862) DONTNOD Entertainment
ROUNDS older $5.99 35,738 95% 1.1M $6.4M (exactly $6,422,119) Landfall
Rivals of Aether II $29.99 6,980 78% 209k $6.3M (exactly $6,279,906) Aether Studios
Nidhogg older $9.99 5,717 90% 172k $1.7M (exactly $1,713,385) Messhof
Slap City older $19.99 2,409 95% 72k $1.4M (exactly $1,444,677) Ludosity
Guacamelee! Gold Edition older $14.99 3,154 93% 95k $1.4M (exactly $1,418,354) Drinkbox Studios
HARDCORE MECHA older $19.99 2,331 83% 70k $1.4M (exactly $1,397,901) RocketPunch Games
TowerFall Ascension older $14.99 2,942 95% 88k $1.3M (exactly $1,323,017) Maddy Makes Games Inc., Extremely OK Ga… (Maddy Makes Games Inc., Extremely OK Games, Ltd.)
IGNOBLE $6.99 331 82% 9.9k $69k (exactly $69,411) Retromagine
Rage of the Dragons NEO $19.99 30 90% 900 $18k (exactly $17,991) QUByte Interactive
Astropods: Starside Glaze $12.50 28 100% 840 $11k (exactly $10,500) CheesiMoon, Breadbinbran
Zombie Flick | 僵尸快打 $5.99 51 45% 1.5k $9.2k (exactly $9,165) Yiming
Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero $19.99 15 86% 450 $9.0k (exactly $8,996) OneManOnMars Art & Games e.K
StellaGale: The Trials Of Faith · EA $9.99 29 96% 870 $8.7k (exactly $8,691) Extra Life Entertainment, Vifth Floor
Virtue's Heaven $19.99 12 100% 360 $7.2k (exactly $7,196) MOKKOGRAD
Which Way Up: Galaxy Games $14.99 16 100% 480 $7.2k (exactly $7,195) Turtle Flip Studio
Starkheim Tournament · EA $7.99 15 93% 450 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Project MOX

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