Do I ship it?

Games › Hack and Slash › Hack and Slash + Split Screen

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Split Screen Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Split Screen

Only 10 developers shipped a Split Screen 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, Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $28k, ×45 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.9 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 25 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Split Screen
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $68k → $16k → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Split Screen: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,823)
Top 5% $28k (exactly $28,489)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 40
Announced 25
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 300% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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
Split Screen
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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, Split Screen
Price point
$7.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 6 games average 88% positive over 101 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $4.8k, 1 in 20 over $28k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 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

ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 2023 · $21M EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 2019 · $17M Darksiders Genesis 2019 · $9.3M Hellpoint 2020 · $2.7M Fight The Dragon 2014 · $298k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 older $39.99 17,281 91% 518k $21M (exactly $20,732,016) Koei Tecmo
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 older $59.99 9,375 93% 281k $17M (exactly $16,872,188) SANDLOT
Darksiders Genesis older $29.99 10,379 82% 311k $9.3M (exactly $9,337,986) Airship Syndicate
Hellpoint older $34.99 2,582 76% 77k $2.7M (exactly $2,710,325) Cradle Games
Fight The Dragon older $9.99 993 78% 30k $298k (exactly $297,602) 3 Sprockets
First Dwarf · EA older $24.99 314 76% 9.4k $235k (exactly $235,406) Star Drifters
God's Trigger older $14.99 441 72% 13k $198k (exactly $198,318) One More Level
The First Templar - Steam Special Edition older $9.99 543 73% 16k $163k (exactly $162,737) Haemimont Games
Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire older $19.99 113 76% 3.4k $68k (exactly $67,766) Digitality Games
Monster Outbreak older $14.99 79 64% 2.4k $36k (exactly $35,526) GameMunchers
Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection $24.99 38 86% 1.1k $28k (exactly $28,489) Grimorio of Games
Ultimate Blacksmith Tycoon ~The Appraiser-Shopkeeper Conquers the Blacksmith Trade~ · EA $14.99 15 80% 450 $6.7k (exactly $6,746) Quench Forge
Kingdoms And Slaves $6.99 23 82% 690 $4.8k (exactly $4,823) TGM
Steinstern: Spacewar $6.99 10 100% 300 $2.1k (exactly $2,097) Chris Baum
MADHOUSE · EA $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Paul Hubans
Dual Force $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Howling Beast Entertainment
Ranger Force $19.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) J Studios Gaming LLC
Vault Vandals $7.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Elusive Drafts
Ethereal Storm · EA $8.40 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) App.nz
Bitvania $3.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) BITTRON STUDIOS

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