Do I ship it?

GamesParty-Based RPGParty-Based RPG + Hack and Slash

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hack and Slash Party-Based RPG?

Party-Based RPG + Hack and Slash

Of 38 developers who shipped a Hack and Slash Party-Based RPG 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.. 83 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $5.8k, ×9.3 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $7.0M, ×11185 the market median. Revenue is up 270% on the market; 83 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 9.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 270% on the market, 83 announced, ×3.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Party-Based RPG + Hack and Slash
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 38
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.7k → $72k → $3.6k → $898 → $40k → $14k (still earning) → $6.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Party-Based RPG + Hack and Slash: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 38
Bottom 30% $2.4k (exactly $2,395)
Median $5.8k (exactly $5,846)
Top 25% $63k (exactly $62,637)
Top 5% $7.0M (exactly $7,024,244)
Developers, 2 yr 38
Released games 117
Announced 83
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $10.99

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 270% on the market, supply 75% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 21%, 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.

Party-Based RPG
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Hack and Slash
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Party-Based RPG, Hack and Slash; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, JRPG, Action
Price point
$10.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 36,130 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.4k, median $5.8k, 1 in 4 over $62k, 1 in 20 over $7.0M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.4k. 7 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 83 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Party-Based RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Board GameFair24 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  2. + Point & ClickFair17 devs · median $2.5k · 20 announced
  3. + 2D PlatformerFair55 devs · median $599 · 42 announced
  4. + Hidden ObjectFair15 devs · median $479 · 16 announced
  5. + Martial ArtsPoor odds5 devs · median $230k · 16 announced
  6. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $49k · 25 announced
  7. + SandboxPoor odds23 devs · median $34k · 71 announced
  8. + BuildingPoor odds12 devs · median $32k · 37 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds14 devs · median $21k · 28 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds67 devs · median $19k · 76 announced
  11. + Base BuildingPoor odds19 devs · median $19k · 51 announced
  12. + IncrementalPoor odds18 devs · median $15k · 45 announced

All 111 pairs on the Party-Based RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
FINAL FANTASY XVI $49.99 24,065 78% 722k $36M (exactly $36,090,280) Square Enix
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA older $39.99 6,177 90% 185k $7.4M (exactly $7,410,547) Nihon Falcom
Trials of Mana older $49.99 4,821 91% 145k $7.2M (exactly $7,230,054) Square Enix
Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition $39.99 5,855 86% 176k $7.0M (exactly $7,024,244) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land $69.99 2,534 64% 76k $5.3M (exactly $5,320,640) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Shadows: Awakening older $29.99 1,535 75% 46k $1.4M (exactly $1,381,040) Games Farm
Quest Hunter older $19.99 2,025 82% 61k $1.2M (exactly $1,214,392) 2 Zombie Games
Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters older $49.99 690 81% 21k $1.0M (exactly $1,034,793) Idea Factory, Compile Heart
Dungeon Siege older $6.99 3,842 81% 115k $806k (exactly $805,667) Gas Powered Games
Wizardry: The Five Ordeals older $39.99 520 85% 16k $624k (exactly $623,844) 59 Studio
Labyrinth of Touhou Tri -The Dreaming Girls & The Mysterious Orbs- $19.99 616 82% 18k $369k (exactly $369,415) Nise-Eikoku Studio
Path of Idle: Old Gods Rising $9.99 1,160 77% 35k $348k (exactly $347,652) Small Mill, Small Mill
FAIRY TAIL 2 $59.99 162 61% 4.9k $292k (exactly $291,551) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Fallen Tear: The Ascension · EA $24.99 222 81% 6.7k $166k (exactly $166,433) Winter Crew Studios
Bones and Coins $7.99 638 72% 19k $153k (exactly $152,929) Troyd Games
Path of the Abyss $6.99 664 92% 20k $139k (exactly $139,241) Suzuki Suzuzou
Crescent Tower $9.99 214 89% 6.4k $64k (exactly $64,136) Curry Croquette

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