Do I ship it?

Games › Rhythm › Rhythm + Magic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Magic Rhythm game?

Rhythm + Magic

Of 20 developers who shipped a Magic Rhythm 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.. 35 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $91k, ×192 the market median. Revenue is up 20% on the market; 35 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 20% on the market, 35 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Rhythm + Magic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $449 → $120 → $179 → $1.3k → $1.5k → $1.3k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Rhythm + Magic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $839 (exactly $839)
Top 25% $1.9k (exactly $1,918)
Top 5% $91k (exactly $91,288)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 63
Announced 35
Effort 4 / 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 20% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 25%, 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.

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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Rhythm; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, RPG
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.80 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Story Rich, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $15.80 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 789 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $840, 1 in 4 over $1.9k, 1 in 20 over $91k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 9 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 35 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Rhythm with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Choose Your Own AdventureStrong odds23 devs · median $3.3k · 18 announced
  2. + Third-Person ShooterStrong odds6 devs · median $3.3k · 6 announced
  3. + Visual NovelFair38 devs · median $18k · 52 announced
  4. + ModernFair15 devs · median $13k · 15 announced
  5. + Artificial IntelligenceFair8 devs · median $7.8k · 13 announced
  6. + LGBTQ+Fair23 devs · median $7.2k · 26 announced
  7. + ManagementFair19 devs · median $5.9k · 24 announced
  8. + Beat 'em upFair17 devs · median $4.5k · 15 announced
  9. + Dating SimFair21 devs · median $3.1k · 17 announced
  10. + Choices MatterFair36 devs · median $2.4k · 35 announced
  11. + SimulationFair114 devs · median $980 · 100 announced
  12. + Combat RacingFair10 devs · median $802 · 9 announced

All 110 pairs on the Rhythm page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Secret of the Magic Crystals 2010 · $96k Rhythm Witch: Beat Death 2025 · $91k PROJEKT GODHAND 2026 · $75k Project: Mirror 2023 · $66k The Shaman's Ark 2025 · $14k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Secret of the Magic Crystals older $4.99 640 79% 19k $96k (exactly $95,808) Artery Games
Rhythm Witch: Beat Death $5.99 508 94% 15k $91k (exactly $91,288) Dusklight CO., LTD.
PROJEKT GODHAND $15.80 158 96% 4.7k $75k (exactly $74,892) Anarch Entertainment
Project: Mirror older $4.99 444 76% 13k $66k (exactly $66,467) 430Games, ArtistBOA
The Shaman's Ark $9.99 47 97% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) Amortiz Games
Lily Fantasia $14.99 31 93% 930 $14k (exactly $13,941) Wiseye Studio Co., ltd.
The Disguiser Of Fate older $2.99 65 89% 2.0k $5.8k (exactly $5,830) Windward_Birds, XNZONE
Kooring VR Wonderland:Mecadino's Attack older $15.99 10 100% 300 $4.8k (exactly $4,797) VRANI inc.
Dark Witch Music Episode: Rudymical older $7.99 18 77% 540 $4.3k (exactly $4,315) INSIDE SYSTEM, ESQUADRA,inc.
The Legend Of Tiger And Phoenix older $3.99 29 93% 870 $3.5k (exactly $3,471) OZNA STUDIO
TechnoSorcery $7.99 8 100% 240 $1.9k (exactly $1,918) The Ancient Arcanum
Ultimate Sugar Crush! — Brick Breaker Desire $2.99 17 88% 510 $1.5k (exactly $1,525) CHOCOLAT, LLC.
RHYTHMIC · EA $9.99 5 80% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) Polar Studios Robin Kammel
The Cascadier · EA $10.99 4 75% 120 $1.3k (exactly $1,319) Enchanted Arcade
LightBreak $5.99 7 100% 210 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) Deev Interactive
BeatHero $6.99 4 100% 120 $839 (exactly $839) Rainboar Studios

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