Games › Swordplay › Swordplay + Loot
Should I ship a Loot Swordplay game?
Swordplay + Loot
Of 30 developers who shipped a Loot Swordplay 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.. 54 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.6k, ×5.7 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $2.6M, ×4237 the market median. Revenue is up 115% on the market; 54 games are announced against 22 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $539 (exactly $539) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.6k (exactly $3,596) |
| Top 25% | $49k (exactly $49,175) |
| Top 5% | $2.7M (exactly $2,660,990) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 69 |
| Announced | 54 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 115% on the market, supply 175% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Swordplay, Loot; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelite, Action Roguelike, Hack and Slash
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 10,866 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $540. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 54 games are announced against 22 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Swordplay with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Shoot 'Em UpLong shot
- + SamuraiPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
- + FightingPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
Comparable games
Shadow Warrior 2 2016 · $22M 
Mortal Sin 2025 · $4.2M 
NORSE: Oath of Blood 2026 · $2.7M 
Achilles: Legends Untold 2023 · $1.6M 
Karnage Chronicles 2020 · $892k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Shadow Warrior 2 | older | $29.99 | 24,120 87% | 724k | $22M (exactly $21,700,764) | Flying Wild Hog |
| | Mortal Sin | $24.99 | 5,583 94% | 167k | $4.2M (exactly $4,185,575) | Nikola Todorovic | |
| | NORSE: Oath of Blood | $34.99 | 2,535 56% | 76k | $2.7M (exactly $2,660,990) | Arctic Hazard | |
| | Achilles: Legends Untold | older | $24.99 | 2,149 77% | 64k | $1.6M (exactly $1,611,105) | Dark Point Games |
| | Karnage Chronicles | older | $24.99 | 1,190 85% | 36k | $892k (exactly $892,143) | Nordic Trolls |
 | Rustil: Eternal Labyrinth Castle | $18.99 | 950 71% | 29k | $541k (exactly $541,215) | KTMG LLC. | |
 | Robber Knight | · EA older | $39.99 | 284 64% | 8.5k | $341k (exactly $340,715) | Sartorian |
 | Fate Seeker: Journey | older | $10.00 | 1,105 77% | 33k | $332k (exactly $331,500) | JSL Entertainment |
 | Backpack Jianghu | $13.99 | 565 80% | 17k | $237k (exactly $237,130) | 背包工作室 | |
 | Talisman: Digital 5th Edition | $29.99 | 227 70% | 6.8k | $204k (exactly $204,232) | Nomad Games | |
 | Darkblade Ascent | $10.99 | 551 80% | 17k | $182k (exactly $181,665) | PST Games | |
 | Trials of Valor | $18.99 | 100 95% | 3.0k | $57k (exactly $56,970) | Armored Goblin | |
 | Varthos - Heir to the Throne | · EA | $19.99 | 82 68% | 2.5k | $49k (exactly $49,175) | Nightshift Game Development |
 | Breath of Life | $14.99 | 104 78% | 3.1k | $47k (exactly $46,769) | Satur Entertainment | |
 | Re:Blade | $3.99 | 169 71% | 5.1k | $20k (exactly $20,229) | STAGE Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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