Do I ship it?

Games › Hack and Slash › Hack and Slash + Wargame

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Wargame Hack and Slash game?

Hack and Slash + Wargame

Of 21 developers who shipped a Wargame Hack and Slash game 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.. 28 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $230; 1 in 20 cleared $280k, ×458 the market median. Revenue is up 135% on the market; 28 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 135% on the market, 28 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hack and Slash + Wargame
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.1k → $2.2k → $598 → $2.2k → $1.1k → $1.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hack and Slash + Wargame: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $225 (exactly $225)
Median $598 (exactly $598)
Top 25% $2.2k (exactly $2,155)
Top 5% $288k (exactly $287,856)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 66
Announced 28
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 135% on the market, supply 65% 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.

Hack and Slash
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Wargame
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, Wargame; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Strategy, RPG
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 20,662 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $230, median $600, 1 in 4 over $2.1k, 1 in 20 over $280k.

3 in 10 developers made under $230. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 28 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 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

Chivalry 2 2022 · $56M DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS 2025 · $41M Kingdom Heroes 8 2021 · $12M Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2 2023 · $4.3M Three Kingdoms Zhao Yun 2024 · $2.3M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Chivalry 2 older $39.99 46,707 79% 1.4M $56M (exactly $56,034,388) Torn Banner Studios
DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS $69.99 19,578 92% 587k $41M (exactly $41,107,927) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Kingdom Heroes 8 older $29.99 12,793 55% 384k $12M (exactly $11,509,862) USERJOY Technology Co.,Ltd.
Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2 older $19.99 7,206 84% 216k $4.3M (exactly $4,321,438) Brilliant Game Studios
Three Kingdoms Zhao Yun older $19.99 3,829 66% 115k $2.3M (exactly $2,296,251) ZUIJIANGYUE Game
Han Xiongnu Wars older $6.99 2,200 67% 66k $461k (exactly $461,340) Shangshi Studio
Castle Craft $19.99 480 82% 14k $288k (exactly $287,856) Twin Earth
Warlords Battleground: Extraction $11.99 525 84% 16k $189k (exactly $188,842) 绝汪
Pass Tiger Cage · EA $6.99 34 61% 1.0k $7.1k (exactly $7,130) 中军MT
Medieval Arms older $14.99 12 66% 360 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) Goodline Games
Broad Sword $11.99 8 100% 240 $2.9k (exactly $2,878) Refractal Studio
Ant Guardians · EA $3.99 18 83% 540 $2.2k (exactly $2,155) NotThisTime
Battle Medal: Super Auto Chess Swarm War $7.99 5 80% 150 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) SOT烈
HeroIsVeryArrogant $4.99 8 100% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) Wondarabyte
Ordinary Heroes $8.99 4 100% 120 $1.1k (exactly $1,079) COW Studios
Scrap Battalion $12.99 2 100% 60 $779 (exactly $779) Corrosive Mortar

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