Do I ship it?

GamesHack and SlashHack and Slash + Walking Simulator

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Walking Simulator Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Walking Simulator

Only 9 developers shipped a Walking Simulator 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, Echoes of Aincrad, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 16 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×2.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $8.6M, ×13735 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 16 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 16 announced, ×3.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Walking Simulator
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Walking Simulator: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Median $1.7k (exactly $1,676)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $17,964)
Top 5% $8.6M (exactly $8,625,568)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 31
Announced 16
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $3.99

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 85% on the market, supply 25% more developers than 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
Walking Simulator
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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, Walking Simulator
Price point
$3.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 49% positive over 4,515 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.4k, median $1.7k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $8.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.4k. 6 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 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
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice older $29.99 66,788 90% 2.0M $60M (exactly $60,089,164) Ninja Theory
Echoes of Aincrad $69.99 4,108 47% 123k $8.6M (exactly $8,625,568) Game Studio Inc.
My Riding Stables: Life with Horses older $14.99 244 88% 7.3k $110k (exactly $109,727) Sproing
Burial $4.99 161 73% 4.8k $24k (exactly $24,102) REVVALUTION Studio
You Are Grounded $4.99 120 84% 3.6k $18k (exactly $17,964) Romooll, REVVALUTION Studio
IMPETUM $4.99 87 60% 2.6k $13k (exactly $13,024) TrueGames
CowboysShowdown older $24.99 11 90% 330 $8.2k (exactly $8,247) Gamesforgames
Tale of Ninja: Fall of the Miyoshi older $4.99 47 53% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) S.Y. GAMES
Chamber Survival older $15.99 11 27% 330 $5.3k (exactly $5,277) daminggede
Gangsta Magic older $4.99 29 82% 870 $4.3k (exactly $4,341) Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software
Assassin of Monsters $3.99 14 78% 420 $1.7k (exactly $1,676) Saylor games
Assassin Of Goblin $3.99 12 66% 360 $1.4k (exactly $1,436) Saylor Games
Master Knight $3.99 11 72% 330 $1.3k (exactly $1,317) DIG Games
Dark Hollow RPG $0.99 2 100% 60 $59 (exactly $59) Conor-PotPie
Assassin of Dragon $3.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Saylor Games
Monster Travels · EA $0.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) fuseegelee

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