Do I ship it?

Games › Local Co-Op › Local Co-Op + Rhythm

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Rhythm game?

Local Co-Op + Rhythm

Only 17 developers shipped a Local Co-Op Rhythm 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, Rhythm Doctor, 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.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×4.4 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $15M, ×31590 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 16 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 16 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Local Co-Op + Rhythm
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $46k → $1.0k → $49k → $179 → $16k → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Local Co-Op + Rhythm: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Top 25% $16k (exactly $16,189)
Top 5% $15M (exactly $15,005,094)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 58
Announced 16
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $8.99

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 75% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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.

Local Co-Op
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Rhythm
effort 3 / 10 · medium · audio sync, timing precision and music rights

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Local Co-Op, Rhythm; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Co-op, Local Multiplayer, Action
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, Cute, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 40,864 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 $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $16k, 1 in 20 over $15M.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 8 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Local Co-Op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + LootStrong odds22 devs · median $7.3k · 21 announced
  2. + LGBTQ+Fair11 devs · median $14k · 12 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair16 devs · median $11k · 15 announced
  4. + TriviaFair12 devs · median $7.5k · 13 announced
  5. + Action RPGFair68 devs · median $6.0k · 82 announced
  6. + ModernFair11 devs · median $3.6k · 10 announced
  7. + Dark FantasyFair40 devs · median $2.7k · 47 announced
  8. + Board GameFair35 devs · median $2.4k · 41 announced
  9. + Dungeon CrawlerFair49 devs · median $1.8k · 60 announced
  10. + MedievalFair46 devs · median $1.8k · 52 announced
  11. + Immersive SimFair22 devs · median $1.8k · 27 announced
  12. + Point & ClickFair12 devs · median $1.8k · 9 announced

All 151 pairs on the Local Co-Op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Rhythm Doctor 2025 · $15M Just Shapes & Beats 2018 · $14M Crypt of the NecroDancer 2015 · $11M Rocksmith® 2014 Edition REMASTERED LEARN & PLAY 2024 · $4.7M AudioSurf 2008 · $2.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Rhythm Doctor $19.99 25,021 98% 751k $15M (exactly $15,005,094) 7th Beat Games
Just Shapes & Beats older $19.99 24,041 97% 721k $14M (exactly $14,417,388) Berzerk Studio
Crypt of the NecroDancer older $14.99 23,593 95% 708k $11M (exactly $10,609,772) Brace Yourself Games
Rocksmith® 2014 Edition REMASTERED LEARN & PLAY $9.99 15,615 85% 468k $4.7M (exactly $4,679,816) Ubisoft - San Francisco, Ubisoft - Osaka
AudioSurf older $9.99 8,901 95% 267k $2.7M (exactly $2,667,630) Dylan Fitterer
Audiosurf 2 older $14.99 5,364 82% 161k $2.4M (exactly $2,412,191) Dylan Fitterer
Beat Hazard older $9.99 5,072 95% 152k $1.5M (exactly $1,520,078) Cold Beam Games
No Straight Roads: Encore Edition older $24.99 1,813 89% 54k $1.4M (exactly $1,359,206) Metronomik
Afterbeat (Project Arrhythmia) · EA older $14.99 2,452 95% 74k $1.1M (exactly $1,102,664) Vitamin Games
The Jackbox Party Pack 10 older $29.99 500 65% 15k $450k (exactly $449,850) Jackbox Games, Inc.
Barbie Project Friendship™ $39.99 41 80% 1.2k $49k (exactly $49,188) Xaloc Studios, Casual Brothers Ltd.
Bratz® Rhythm & Style $39.99 30 76% 900 $36k (exactly $35,991) Recotechnology S.L.
Aaero2 $14.99 36 94% 1.1k $16k (exactly $16,189) Mad Fellows
Concerto on White: Cajon Story $8.99 59 94% 1.8k $16k (exactly $15,912) C11 Games
Bop It! The Video Game $7.99 35 94% 1.1k $8.4k (exactly $8,390) Alliance
Tomo Jam · EA $6.99 15 100% 450 $3.1k (exactly $3,146) Restless Games
Catch Flex $9.99 7 100% 210 $2.1k (exactly $2,098) Vilegacy
MACHO DE PON! for Steam $8.99 5 100% 150 $1.3k (exactly $1,348) Sting

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