Do I ship it?

GamesRhythmRhythm + Match 3

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Match 3 Rhythm game?

Rhythm + Match 3

Only 9 developers shipped a Match 3 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, Chowdown Kitty, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 6 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $120 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 5 developers shipped in the last year and 6 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 4460% on the market, 6 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Rhythm + Match 3
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Rhythm + Match 3: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $120 (exactly $120)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,525)
Top 5% $3.1k (exactly $3,140)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 25
Announced 6
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $2.99

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 4460% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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
Match 3
effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Rhythm, Match 3
Price point
$2.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 81% positive over 73 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $120, 1 in 4 over $1.5k, 1 in 20 over $3.1k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 6 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Rhythm with a different second tag, 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Project: Mirror older $4.99 444 76% 13k $66k (exactly $66,467) 430Games, ArtistBOA
Love Rhythm older $2.99 571 78% 17k $51k (exactly $51,219) Triple-S
Rainbow Reactor older $14.99 71 94% 2.1k $32k (exactly $31,929) Tunermaxx Media GmbH, Muikkumedia Oy
Turba older $4.99 85 41% 2.6k $13k (exactly $12,724) Binary Takeover
Chowdown Kitty $2.99 35 74% 1.1k $3.1k (exactly $3,140) Lunar Peace
A Ridiculous Waste of Time $9.99 6 100% 180 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) Ridiculous Games
Ultimate Sugar Crush! — Brick Breaker Desire $2.99 17 88% 510 $1.5k (exactly $1,525) CHOCOLAT, LLC.
KeyBoard Guitar Master older $1.99 15 86% 450 $896 (exactly $896) Headbang Studio
BeatHero $6.99 4 100% 120 $839 (exactly $839) Rainboar Studios
Dancing Hime: Rhythm Matching · EA older $6.99 3 0% 90 $629 (exactly $629) Youai Xiongdi Information Technology
Ultimate Sugar Crush! $1.99 7 100% 210 $418 (exactly $418) CHOCOLAT, LLC.
OnlyGame $3.99 1 100% 30 $120 (exactly $120) 小桨哥
Be touch-and-go $1.99 1 0% 30 $60 (exactly $60) FuQianDeBiFang
Dusky Cap $0.99 2 0% 60 $59 (exactly $59) Cap
XIaoXIaoQi $0.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) 草莓派
Five Elements Clash Battle $0.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) YIN YUAN

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