Do I ship it?

Games › Hack and Slash › Hack and Slash + Superhero

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Superhero Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Superhero

Only 12 developers shipped a Superhero 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, Lost Soul Aside™, 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 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×0.9 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $2.3M, ×1570 the market median. Revenue is up 140% on the market; 25 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 140% on the market, 25 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Superhero
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.4k → $1.3k → $22k → $16k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Superhero: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,347)
Top 25% $22k (exactly $21,741)
Top 5% $2.4M (exactly $2,352,208)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 40
Announced 25
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 140% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Hack and Slash
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Superhero
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Hack and Slash
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 61% positive over 1,586 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $21k, 1 in 20 over $2.3M.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 7 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 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 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. + 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

Prototype 2 2012 · $12M Prototype™ 2009 · $7.5M Lost Soul Aside™ 2025 · $2.4M Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood 2022 · $1.3M The Wonderful 101: Remastered 2020 · $677k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Prototype 2 older $39.99 10,389 75% 312k $12M (exactly $12,463,683) Radical Entertainment
Prototype™ older $19.99 12,518 80% 376k $7.5M (exactly $7,507,045) Radical Entertainment
Lost Soul Aside™ $59.99 1,307 59% 39k $2.4M (exactly $2,352,208) Ultizero Games
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood older $29.99 1,463 69% 44k $1.3M (exactly $1,316,261) Cyanide Studio
The Wonderful 101: Remastered older $39.99 564 84% 17k $677k (exactly $676,631) PlatinumGames Inc.
UFO ROBOT GRENDIZER – The Feast of the Wolves older $39.99 559 84% 17k $671k (exactly $670,632) Endroad
Smelter older $19.99 165 64% 5.0k $99k (exactly $98,950) X PLUS Co., Ltd.
Jitsu Squad older $9.99 260 84% 7.8k $78k (exactly $77,922) Tanuki Creative Studio
Kick-Ass 2 older $9.99 203 42% 6.1k $61k (exactly $60,839) Freedom Factory
Widow in the Endless Labyrinth older $14.99 133 78% 4.0k $60k (exactly $59,810) Hajime Doujin Circle
Kijutsu Rider $9.99 95 56% 2.9k $28k (exactly $28,472) OmegaMechAnimations
Lethal Honor - Order of the Apocalypse $24.99 29 96% 870 $22k (exactly $21,741) Viral Studios
Ghosts Keep Out $3.99 130 75% 3.9k $16k (exactly $15,561) Only Fun Games
Lone Warrior's Fist $5.99 10 100% 300 $1.8k (exactly $1,797) CreatiCell Games
Big Trouble in Little Chimney $4.99 9 77% 270 $1.3k (exactly $1,347) FobTi interactive
For the Greater Good $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Alexander Urban
Dual Force $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Howling Beast Entertainment
ZeroPoint · EA $3.99 1 100% 30 $120 (exactly $120) Aysert Games
Project Almighty 2 $1.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) John C. Ragland

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