Do I ship it?

GamesSwordplaySwordplay + Wargame

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Wargame Swordplay game?

Swordplay + Wargame

Only 17 developers shipped a Wargame 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, DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $540, ×0.9 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $41M, ×65458 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 18 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 18 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Swordplay + Wargame
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $505 → $539 → $12k → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Swordplay + Wargame: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $148 (exactly $148)
Median $539 (exactly $539)
Top 25% $28k (exactly $27,891)
Top 5% $41M (exactly $41,107,927)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 40
Announced 18
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.90

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 100% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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
Wargame
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium 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, Wargame; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Action, Action RPG
Price point
$9.90 typical · top 25% priced $69.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Third Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $69.99 or above; the middle game at $9.90.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 20,068 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $540, 1 in 4 over $27k, 1 in 20 over $41M.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Swordplay with a different second tag, 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
Chivalry 2 older $39.99 46,707 79% 1.4M $56M (exactly $56,034,388) Torn Banner Studios
DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS $69.99 19,578 92% 587k $41M (exactly $41,107,927) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Ninja Village older $8.99 546 93% 16k $147k (exactly $147,256) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
SeaCret 1 · EA $39.99 99 61% 3.0k $119k (exactly $118,770) Dalas
Sea Dogs: City of Abandoned Ships older $7.99 245 76% 7.4k $59k (exactly $58,726) Akella
The Last King · EA $14.99 122 79% 3.7k $55k (exactly $54,863) Mayawi software
Sea Dogs: Caribbean Tales older $11.99 127 62% 3.8k $46k (exactly $45,682) Akella
Sengoku Voxel Castle With Zundamon · EA $12.99 106 95% 3.2k $41k (exactly $41,308) KC Project
Tales Of Glory 4 : Ragnarok · EA $29.99 31 83% 930 $28k (exactly $27,891) BlackTale Games
天下統一SSB older $69.99 9 44% 270 $19k (exactly $18,897) Systemsoft beta, Inc.
Politon $4.99 81 90% 2.4k $12k (exactly $12,126) Pinq Games
BannerBound · EA $12.99 15 73% 450 $5.8k (exactly $5,846) Cosmic noise
Wartheon $3.99 17 94% 510 $2.0k (exactly $2,035) Asilpena Games
This sect accepts female disciples only $8.99 2 50% 60 $539 (exactly $539) sln
Kill Dee $0.99 17 82% 510 $505 (exactly $505) BYE BYE, BUYBYEGames

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