Do I ship it?

GamesSwordplaySwordplay + Mystery

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mystery Swordplay game?

Swordplay + Mystery

Only 10 developers shipped a Mystery Swordplay 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, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 43 more are announced, ×11 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.

Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $3.3k against a market of $630. 43 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 5.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 43 announced, ×11 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Swordplay + Mystery
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 10

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Swordplay + Mystery: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 10
Bottom 30% $836 (exactly $836)
Median $3.3k (exactly $3,297)
Top 25% $7.5k (exactly $7,541)
Top 5% $24M (exactly $23,682,516)
Developers, 2 yr 10
Released games 26
Announced 43
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 down 20% on the market, supply 35% fewer 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.

Swordplay
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Mystery
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high 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
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 88% positive over 12,878 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $840, median $3.3k, 1 in 4 over $7.5k, 1 in 20 over $23M.

3 in 10 developers made under $840. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×11 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Swordplay with a different setting or mood, 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
Onimusha: Way of the Sword $69.99 11,279 89% 338k $24M (exactly $23,682,516) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition $39.99 1,484 78% 45k $1.8M (exactly $1,780,355) Myrkur Games
Omensight: Definitive Edition older $19.99 1,174 88% 35k $704k (exactly $704,048) Spearhead Games
Touken Ranbu Warriors older $59.99 197 87% 5.9k $355k (exactly $354,541) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
1428: Shadows over Silesia older $19.99 201 72% 6.0k $121k (exactly $120,540) KUBI Games
Wéko The Mask Gatherer older $19.99 49 85% 1.5k $29k (exactly $29,385) SIRO GAMES Sarl
Demons of Asteborg older $9.99 41 87% 1.2k $12k (exactly $12,288) Neofid Studios, Nindo
Dark Sword: The Light of Ainn $3.99 63 93% 1.9k $7.5k (exactly $7,541) MrDoth
Ancient Mind $11.99 20 70% 600 $7.2k (exactly $7,194) HexagonNico
Drag'N Dungeon $9.99 11 90% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Demon Girl
Luminous Plume older $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) XenoHorizon
RHYTHMIC · EA $9.99 5 80% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) Polar Studios Robin Kammel
One True Path - Part 1 $1.99 14 100% 420 $836 (exactly $836) InnerspaceVR
Frog & Blade $8.99 2 100% 60 $539 (exactly $539) StarGazer
Blade And Dragon VR $9.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Fori Studio
Cryptoria $2.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) XnaxlZzz_Studios

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