Do I ship it?

GamesHack and SlashHack and Slash + Multiple Endings

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Multiple Endings Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Multiple Endings

Of 57 developers who shipped a Multiple Endings Hack and Slash 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.. 145 more are announced, ×4.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×4.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.3k; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×424 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 145 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 145 announced, ×4.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Multiple Endings
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 57
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $17k → $11k → $117k → $18k → $7.5k → $1.8k → $3.0k (still earning) → $43k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Multiple Endings: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 57
Bottom 30% $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Median $3.0k (exactly $2,997)
Top 25% $40k (exactly $40,262)
Top 5% $266k (exactly $266,267)
Developers, 2 yr 57
Released games 187
Announced 145
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 down 70% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Multiple Endings
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high 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, Multiple Endings; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, RPG, Action RPG
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Side Scroller
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 92% positive over 84,159 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.3k, median $3.0k, 1 in 4 over $40k, 1 in 20 over $260k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.3k. 7 in 10 of the 30 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 145 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Hack and Slash with a different second tag, 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. + ModernFair13 devs · median $7.2k · 20 announced
  5. + IdlerFair32 devs · median $6.4k · 50 announced
  6. + IncrementalFair40 devs · median $1.7k · 57 announced
  7. + RomancePoor odds11 devs · median $119k · 25 announced
  8. + Visual NovelPoor odds11 devs · median $85k · 22 announced
  9. + Character Action GamePoor odds27 devs · median $58k · 80 announced
  10. + DestructionPoor odds19 devs · median $43k · 57 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds17 devs · median $33k · 20 announced
  12. + AutomationPoor odds12 devs · median $21k · 26 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
Stellar Blade™ $59.99 61,289 93% 1.8M $110M (exactly $110,301,813) SHIFT UP Corporation
DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS $69.99 19,578 92% 587k $41M (exactly $41,107,927) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
BlazBlue Entropy Effect older $19.99 30,410 94% 912k $18M (exactly $18,236,877) 91Act
Blasphemous 2 older $29.99 16,808 91% 504k $15M (exactly $15,122,158) The Game Kitchen
下一站江湖Ⅱ older $24.99 8,507 72% 255k $6.4M (exactly $6,377,698) 白玉京工作室
Fate/Samurai Remnant older $39.99 5,018 90% 151k $6.0M (exactly $6,020,095) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Lost Castle / 失落城堡 older $9.99 18,417 87% 553k $5.5M (exactly $5,519,575) Hunter Studio
STAR WARS™ - The Force Unleashed™ Ultimate Sith Edition older $19.99 8,732 77% 262k $5.2M (exactly $5,236,580) LucasArts
Afterimage older $24.99 6,929 79% 208k $5.2M (exactly $5,194,671) Aurogon Shanghai
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me older $39.99 3,778 56% 113k $4.5M (exactly $4,532,467) Supermassive Games
Echoes of Yi : Samsara $19.99 444 67% 13k $266k (exactly $266,267) Runmeng
Evil School $7.99 1,058 92% 32k $254k (exactly $253,603) CineGame Interactive
FOUNTAINS $14.99 423 84% 13k $190k (exactly $190,223) John Pywell
Poetry of Blood: Eclipse · EA $14.99 406 91% 12k $183k (exactly $182,578) ZeroGameStudio
Volkolak: The Will of Gods $15.99 304 87% 9.1k $146k (exactly $145,829) Volk Team
Sin and Love $14.99 232 65% 7.0k $104k (exactly $104,330) XingCaiStudio
Retrace the Light $17.99 170 85% 5.1k $92k (exactly $91,749) Xiaming Game
Warrior of Lust $11.99 255 79% 7.7k $92k (exactly $91,724) Aerisetta

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