Games › Swordplay › Swordplay + Puzzle
Should I ship a Puzzle Swordplay game?
Swordplay + Puzzle
Only 13 developers shipped a Puzzle 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, Tracery of Fate, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 30 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×4.8 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $810; 1 in 20 cleared $77k, ×123 the market median. Revenue is up 735% on the market; 30 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $809 (exactly $809) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) |
| Top 25% | $15k (exactly $15,098) |
| Top 5% | $77k (exactly $77,361) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 13 |
| Released games | 54 |
| Announced | 30 |
| 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 up 735% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Swordplay, Puzzle; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Hack and Slash
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 438 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $810. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 30 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Swordplay with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Shoot 'Em UpLong shot
- + SamuraiPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
- + FightingPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Base BuildingPoor odds
Comparable games
STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ 2019 · $184M 
The Wind Road 2020 · $5.3M 
The Divine Invasion 2021 · $310k 
Ato 2020 · $152k 
Jam Jump 2024 · $107k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ | older | $39.99 | 153,782 88% | 4.6M | $184M (exactly $184,492,265) | Respawn Entertainment |
| | The Wind Road | older | $29.99 | 5,920 69% | 178k | $5.3M (exactly $5,326,224) | 甘肃嘉元数字科技有限公司 |
| | The Divine Invasion | older | $14.99 | 690 79% | 21k | $310k (exactly $310,293) | Whale Rock Games |
| | Ato | older | $14.99 | 339 97% | 10k | $152k (exactly $152,448) | Tiny Warrior Games |
| | Jam Jump | older | $39.99 | 89 86% | 2.7k | $107k (exactly $106,773) | Galactic Geckon |
 | Tracery of Fate | $19.99 | 129 73% | 3.9k | $77k (exactly $77,361) | Sign Narva | |
 | Witching Tower VR | older | $19.99 | 108 76% | 3.2k | $65k (exactly $64,768) | Daily Magic Productions |
 | GIGASWORD | $14.99 | 108 75% | 3.2k | $49k (exactly $48,568) | Studio Hybrid | |
 | The Adventures of The Black Hawk | older | $12.99 | 77 85% | 2.3k | $30k (exactly $30,007) | Croqueta Asesina Studios |
 | Wéko The Mask Gatherer | older | $19.99 | 49 85% | 1.5k | $29k (exactly $29,385) | SIRO GAMES Sarl |
 | Shadowhand Solitaire | $13.99 | 64 90% | 1.9k | $27k (exactly $26,861) | Grey Alien Games | |
 | Spellbound Beauties | $6.99 | 72 83% | 2.2k | $15k (exactly $15,098) | Lunar Kiss Games | |
 | Ancient Mind | $11.99 | 20 70% | 600 | $7.2k (exactly $7,194) | HexagonNico | |
 | ASHGARD: Infinity Mask | · EA | $9.99 | 13 84% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | ASHGARD GAMES |
 | Iridescent | $9.99 | 10 90% | 300 | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) | DraymaDev | |
 | 虚衝 - Kyosho | $9.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | むつむつプロジェクト（Mutsu'pro） | |
 | One True Path - Part 1 | $1.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $836 (exactly $836) | InnerspaceVR | |
 | Dungeon-Bot | $8.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $809 (exactly $809) | XREALL |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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