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Should I ship a Roman Hack and Slash game?
Hack and Slash + Rome
Only 6 developers shipped a Roman 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, Trakonius, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 12 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $4.6k against a market of $630. 12 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $2.3k (exactly $2,274) |
|---|---|
| Median | $4.6k (exactly $4,641) |
| Top 25% | $26k (exactly $26,445) |
| Top 5% | $91k (exactly $91,408) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 6 |
| Released games | 28 |
| Announced | 12 |
| 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 130% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Rome
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Hack and Slash
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $21.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 50,482 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $2.3k. 12 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Hack and Slash with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Turn-BasedStrong odds
- + Turn-Based CombatStrong odds
- + VampiresFair
- + ModernFair
- + IdlerFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + RomancePoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + DestructionPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + AutomationPoor odds
Comparable games
Ryse: Son of Rome 2014 · $11M 
We Who Are About To Die 2022 · EA · $5.4M 
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars 2022 · $2.7M 
Swords and Sandals 2 Redux 2017 · $165k 
Gladius | Gladiator VR Sword fighting 2022 · $129k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ryse: Son of Rome | older | $9.99 | 38,308 87% | 1.1M | $11M (exactly $11,480,908) | Crytek |
| | We Who Are About To Die | · EA older | $21.99 | 8,134 88% | 244k | $5.4M (exactly $5,366,000) | Jordy Lakiere |
| | Asterigos: Curse of the Stars | older | $34.99 | 2,550 78% | 77k | $2.7M (exactly $2,676,735) | Acme Gamestudio |
| | Swords and Sandals 2 Redux | older | $9.99 | 552 78% | 17k | $165k (exactly $165,434) | Whiskeybarrel Studios |
| | Gladius | Gladiator VR Sword fighting | older | $14.99 | 286 74% | 8.6k | $129k (exactly $128,614) | VirtualAge |
 | Trakonius | · EA | $9.99 | 305 84% | 9.2k | $91k (exactly $91,408) | Edvar Studio |
 | Story of a Gladiator | older | $10.99 | 177 75% | 5.3k | $58k (exactly $58,357) | Brain Seal Ltd |
 | Asterix & Obelix XXXL : The Ram From Hibernia | older | $29.99 | 39 43% | 1.2k | $35k (exactly $35,088) | OSome Studio |
 | Caesar's Revenge | older | $13.50 | 82 85% | 2.5k | $33k (exactly $33,210) | Pixel Barons |
 | Rise of a Legend | · EA | $17.99 | 49 77% | 1.5k | $26k (exactly $26,445) | Masquarade, Nicholas St. Germain |
 | BRUTUS MAXIMUS | $4.99 | 31 64% | 930 | $4.6k (exactly $4,641) | SuperStructureGames | |
 | Smerch Battle Arena | · EA | $9.99 | 12 91% | 360 | $3.6k (exactly $3,596) | Smerch Games |
 | Bloodmatch | $3.99 | 19 84% | 570 | $2.3k (exactly $2,274) | DOSMan Games | |
 | Rome: Nightmares of Empire | $3.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $120 (exactly $120) | Hubert G |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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