Do I ship it?

GamesSwordplaySwordplay + Nature

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Nature Swordplay game?

Swordplay + Nature

Of 20 developers who shipped a Nature 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.. 37 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360, ×0.6 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120. 37 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper, while revenue is up 760% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 760% on the market, 37 announced, ×3.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Swordplay + Nature
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: $748 → $300 → $120 → $1.4k → $8.7k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Swordplay + Nature: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $356 (exactly $356)
Top 25% $8.7k (exactly $8,691)
Top 5% $7.5M (exactly $7,537,144)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 48
Announced 37
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 760% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Nature
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; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Action-Adventure
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $59.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 3D, Stylized
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $59.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 67% positive over 6,256 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $360, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $7.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 37 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 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
Beast of Reincarnation $59.99 4,188 56% 126k $7.5M (exactly $7,537,144) GAME FREAK inc.
Sword of the Sea $29.99 1,638 89% 49k $1.5M (exactly $1,473,709) Giant Squid
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten older $59.99 759 80% 23k $1.4M (exactly $1,365,972) AQUAPLUS
Ravenbound older $29.99 770 53% 23k $693k (exactly $692,769) Systemic Reaction™
Utawarerumono: Past and Present Rediscovered $59.99 289 83% 8.7k $520k (exactly $520,113) AQUAPLUS
Eden Island older $14.99 232 58% 7.0k $104k (exactly $104,330) Moon Studio
The End of Dyeus older $14.99 181 88% 5.4k $81k (exactly $81,396) Curious Planet
Animal Rescuer older $14.99 97 67% 2.9k $44k (exactly $43,621) Turquoise Revival Games
Fresh Tracks $24.99 53 94% 1.6k $40k (exactly $39,734) Buffalo Buffalo
Froggy's Battle older $1.99 400 94% 12k $24k (exactly $23,880) Doot
Crossings $9.99 29 75% 870 $8.7k (exactly $8,691) Neat Corporation
Journey of the Garden Rose $11.99 18 77% 540 $6.5k (exactly $6,475) Renegade Sector Games
A Game About Breaking Pots $5.99 27 100% 810 $4.9k (exactly $4,852) Glenn Verheij
Samurai's Odyssey · EA $7.99 6 66% 180 $1.4k (exactly $1,438) CODEUM GAMES, 11Gen
The Deepwoods $5.99 5 80% 150 $898 (exactly $898) Whiteleopard Studios
Arena II $3.95 3 100% 90 $356 (exactly $356) 30 Minute Games

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