Do I ship it?

Games › Rhythm › Rhythm + Score Attack

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Rhythm Score Attack game?

Rhythm + Score Attack

Of 90 developers who shipped a Rhythm Score Attack 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.. 93 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $170k, ×359 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 93 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 93 announced, ×1.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Rhythm + Score Attack
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 90
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $832 → $1.3k → $150 → $657 → $1.9k → $359 → $1.8k (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Rhythm + Score Attack: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 90
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $598 (exactly $598)
Top 25% $6.6k (exactly $6,638)
Top 5% $170k (exactly $170,315)
Developers, 2 yr 90
Released games 264
Announced 93
Effort 3 / 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 down 70% on the market, supply 105% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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
Score Attack
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Rhythm, Score Attack; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, 2D, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 18,265 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $600, 1 in 4 over $6.6k, 1 in 20 over $170k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 38 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 93 games are announced against 61 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

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ 2022 · $23M Metal: Hellsinger 2022 · $13M Dead as Disco 2026 · EA · $9.3M Melatonin 2022 · $3.4M AudioSurf 2008 · $2.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ older $39.39 19,507 94% 585k $23M (exactly $23,051,422) SEGA
Metal: Hellsinger older $29.99 13,989 96% 420k $13M (exactly $12,585,903) The Outsiders
Dead as Disco · EA $24.99 12,354 96% 371k $9.3M (exactly $9,261,794) Brain Jar Games, Inc.
Melatonin older $14.99 7,554 94% 227k $3.4M (exactly $3,397,034) Half Asleep
AudioSurf older $9.99 8,901 95% 267k $2.7M (exactly $2,667,630) Dylan Fitterer
Super Hexagon older $2.99 18,371 97% 551k $1.6M (exactly $1,647,879) Terry Cavanagh
Bits & Bops $15.99 1,799 91% 54k $863k (exactly $862,980) Tempo Lab Games
Electronic Super Joy older $7.99 2,471 89% 74k $592k (exactly $592,299) Michael Todd Games
Beatblock · EA $14.99 1,237 97% 37k $556k (exactly $556,279) BubbleTabby
LUMINES REMASTERED older $14.99 707 95% 21k $318k (exactly $317,938) Resonair
MOMO Crash $12.00 707 89% 21k $255k (exactly $254,520) SKOOTA GAMES
MUSYNX:RETURN $19.99 284 74% 8.5k $170k (exactly $170,315) I-Inferno
BAZOOKA: Rhythm Game $7.99 664 98% 20k $159k (exactly $159,161) Gregory Seguru, Codrin Bradea
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD: Typing of The Net $3.99 827 71% 25k $99k (exactly $98,992) WSS playground, mumimumi, veryOK, Atree… (WSS playground, mumimumi, veryOK, Atree, kabocha renga)
Metal: Hellsinger VR $29.99 107 68% 3.2k $96k (exactly $96,268) Lab42, The Outsiders
PROJEKT GODHAND $15.80 158 96% 4.7k $75k (exactly $74,892) Anarch Entertainment
DrumBeats VR $14.99 128 65% 3.8k $58k (exactly $57,562) Marcel Eissens, VRROOM Ultimate VR Expe… (Marcel Eissens, VRROOM Ultimate VR Experiences BV)

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