Do I ship it?

GamesSwordplaySwordplay + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Swordplay game?

Swordplay + Local Co-Op

Only 4 developers shipped a Local Co-Op Swordplay game in the last 2 years. Over 4 years, 8 did: 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.. 14 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.

Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $58k against a market of $630. 14 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 91.6 times the market baseline, revenue too few recent games to read momentum, 14 announced, ×4.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Swordplay + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 4 yr n = 8

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Swordplay + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 4 yr, n = 8
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $12k (exactly $12,081)
Top 25% $93k (exactly $92,954)
Top 5% $1.8M (exactly $1,763,723)
Developers, 4 yr 8
Released games 27
Announced 14
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $12.99

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 200% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Swordplay
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Local Co-Op
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Swordplay, Local Co-Op
Price point
$12.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

Fewer than 10 games in the last 4 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 11,467 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 4 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $12k, 1 in 4 over $92k, 1 in 20 over $1.7M.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 14 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Swordplay with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Visual NovelFair13 devs · median $5.7k · 10 announced
  2. + Strategy RPGFair22 devs · median $2.7k · 28 announced
  3. + IdlerFair9 devs · median $2.7k · 4 announced
  4. + Auto BattlerFair13 devs · median $1.1k · 8 announced
  5. + DeckbuildingFair11 devs · median $599 · 13 announced
  6. + Shoot 'Em UpLong shot13 devs · median $300 · 5 announced
  7. + SamuraiPoor odds12 devs · median $80k · 21 announced
  8. + JRPGPoor odds16 devs · median $14k · 22 announced
  9. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds39 devs · median $13k · 79 announced
  10. + FightingPoor odds13 devs · median $13k · 33 announced
  11. + Co-opPoor odds19 devs · median $12k · 53 announced
  12. + Base BuildingPoor odds12 devs · median $9.0k · 26 announced

All 115 pairs on the Swordplay page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SpiderHeck older $14.99 3,922 93% 118k $1.8M (exactly $1,763,723) Neverjam
Nidhogg older $9.99 5,717 90% 172k $1.7M (exactly $1,713,385) Messhof
Strikey Sisters older $9.99 785 90% 24k $235k (exactly $235,264) DYA Games
Shrine's Legacy $19.99 155 82% 4.7k $93k (exactly $92,954) Positive Concept Games
Griefhelm older $9.99 267 75% 8.0k $80k (exactly $80,020) Johnny Dale Lonack
Age of Barbarians Chronicles $18.99 101 76% 3.0k $58k (exactly $57,540) Crian Soft
Samurai GUNN older $4.99 354 93% 11k $53k (exactly $52,994) Beau Blyth, Doseone
SWORDY · EA older $14.99 88 63% 2.6k $40k (exactly $39,574) Frogshark
Jet Set Knights older $9.99 49 81% 1.5k $15k (exactly $14,685) FobTi interactive
Golden Force older $14.99 29 58% 870 $13k (exactly $13,041) Storybird Studio
Buccaneers Shipshape $12.99 31 87% 930 $12k (exactly $12,081) Merso Entertainment
Card Maker Simulator $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Níkolas Santos

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