Do I ship it?

GamesOpen WorldOpen World + Spectacle fighter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Spectacle fighter Open World game?

Open World + Spectacle fighter

Of 21 developers who shipped a Spectacle fighter Open World 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.. 47 more are announced, ×5.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $38M, ×25392 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 47 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 47 announced, ×5.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Open World + Spectacle fighter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $13k → $479 → $269 → $57k → $231k → $450 → $3.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Open World + Spectacle fighter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,648)
Top 25% $231k (exactly $230,927)
Top 5% $38M (exactly $38,036,891)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 78
Announced 47
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $11.99

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 flat on the market, supply 45% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Open World
effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
Spectacle fighter
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Open World, Spectacle fighter; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action RPG, RPG
Price point
$11.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 118,201 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $230k, 1 in 20 over $38M.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 6 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 47 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + WuxiaFair12 devs · median $634k · 17 announced
  2. + 4 Player LocalFair14 devs · median $82k · 20 announced
  3. + VampiresFair15 devs · median $23k · 21 announced
  4. + TrainsFair27 devs · median $21k · 25 announced
  5. + FMVFair11 devs · median $14k · 13 announced
  6. + GothicFair25 devs · median $5.4k · 32 announced
  7. + MarsFair12 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  8. + TanksFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 11 announced
  9. + FaithLong shot11 devs · median $716 · 14 announced
  10. + DiplomacyPoor odds13 devs · median $1.8M · 38 announced
  11. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds8 devs · median $767k · 11 announced
  12. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds17 devs · median $267k · 65 announced

All 240 pairs on the Open World page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
NieR:Automata™ older $39.99 115,103 88% 3.5M $138M (exactly $138,089,069) Square Enix, PlatinumGames Inc.
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO $49.99 50,395 86% 1.5M $76M (exactly $75,577,382) Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH $49.99 25,363 75% 761k $38M (exactly $38,036,891) Square Enix
FINAL FANTASY XVI $49.99 24,065 78% 722k $36M (exactly $36,090,280) Square Enix
Onimusha: Way of the Sword $69.99 11,279 89% 338k $24M (exactly $23,682,516) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition older $29.99 16,313 78% 489k $15M (exactly $14,676,806) Gunfire Games, Vigil Games, THQ Nordic
I Am Your Beast older $19.99 5,275 97% 158k $3.2M (exactly $3,163,417) Strange Scaffold
LIZARDS MUST DIE older $3.99 23,315 96% 699k $2.8M (exactly $2,790,806) Smola Game Studio
Path of Kung Fu $14.99 4,880 72% 146k $2.2M (exactly $2,194,536) 游鲤化龙工作室
YAR: Forgotten Throne $19.99 1,283 89% 38k $769k (exactly $769,415) Honor Games
Stickman Strikes: Conquer Fantasy World $11.99 642 78% 19k $231k (exactly $230,927) LGaoGame
EDENS ZERO $59.99 92 80% 2.8k $166k (exactly $165,572) KONAMI
Elder Legacy: Survival · EA $9.99 189 62% 5.7k $57k (exactly $56,643) Honor Games
Excoverse $7.99 13 69% 390 $3.1k (exactly $3,116) ExContinium Games

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