Do I ship it?

GamesHack and SlashHack and Slash + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Modern

Only 13 developers shipped a Modern-Day Hack and Slash game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $7.2k, ×11 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $810. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 20 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 11.5 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 20 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.4k → $6.6k → $665k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $807 (exactly $807)
Median $7.2k (exactly $7,193)
Top 25% $17k (exactly $17,261)
Top 5% $9.2M (exactly $9,192,101)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 44
Announced 20
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 450% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Hack and Slash
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Modern
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
Hack and Slash
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 77% positive over 14,172 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $810, median $7.2k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $9.1M.

3 in 10 developers made under $810. 20 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Hack and Slash with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Turn-BasedStrong odds8 devs · median $14k · 1 announced
  2. + Turn-Based CombatStrong odds28 devs · median $3.7k · 27 announced
  3. + VampiresFair32 devs · median $7.2k · 37 announced
  4. + IdlerFair32 devs · median $6.4k · 50 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair40 devs · median $1.7k · 57 announced
  6. + RomancePoor odds11 devs · median $119k · 25 announced
  7. + Visual NovelPoor odds11 devs · median $85k · 22 announced
  8. + Character Action GamePoor odds27 devs · median $58k · 80 announced
  9. + DestructionPoor odds19 devs · median $43k · 57 announced
  10. + LGBTQ+Poor odds17 devs · median $33k · 20 announced
  11. + AutomationPoor odds12 devs · median $21k · 26 announced
  12. + MechsPoor odds17 devs · median $16k · 40 announced

All 175 pairs on the Hack and Slash page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Judgment older $39.99 9,407 93% 282k $11M (exactly $11,285,578) RGG Studio
Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE $39.99 7,662 70% 230k $9.2M (exactly $9,192,101) Netmarble Neo
Lost Judgment older $39.99 7,461 93% 224k $9.0M (exactly $8,950,962) RGG Studio
Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition $39.99 5,855 86% 176k $7.0M (exactly $7,024,244) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
KYOTO XANADU -the Blooming Phantom- $54.99 403 78% 12k $665k (exactly $664,829) Nihon Falcom
Arthas - The Game older $4.99 520 80% 16k $78k (exactly $77,844) strelitziaOld
Ogre Tale older $19.99 92 52% 2.8k $55k (exactly $55,172) MAGES. Inc.
AbsentedAge: Squarebound older $12.99 67 91% 2.0k $26k (exactly $26,110) terunon's Lab
Fugitive Free Rider $8.99 64 78% 1.9k $17k (exactly $17,261) Moka Sphere, SCON
Seven Cities · EA $14.99 32 87% 960 $14k (exactly $14,390) IMV Studio
Disco Samurai $9.99 45 88% 1.4k $13k (exactly $13,486) Pixel Fiber Games
血姬:双生 (Vampiress: Eternal Duet) $9.99 24 58% 720 $7.2k (exactly $7,193) 织界者 (Realm Weaver Studio)
Great Tough Bikini 6 $2.99 74 70% 2.2k $6.6k (exactly $6,638) nStarcube
Super Firefighter $6.99 4 100% 120 $839 (exactly $839) William Giguère
Motelet $2.99 9 100% 270 $807 (exactly $807) Team Baeb Sae

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