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Should I ship a Zombie Swordplay game?
Swordplay + Zombies
Only 12 developers shipped a Zombie 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.. 22 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $77k, ×123 the market median. Revenue is up 140% on the market; 22 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $599 (exactly $599) |
| Top 25% | $35k (exactly $34,783) |
| Top 5% | $77k (exactly $77,361) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 39 |
| Announced | 22 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 140% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, 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
- Price point
- $7.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 72% positive over 346 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 22 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Swordplay with a different setting or mood, 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
Hellsplit: Arena 2019 · $2.8M 
Undead Citadel 2023 · $259k 
Ed-0: Zombie Uprising 2023 · $190k 
Unsouled 2022 · $159k 
Knights Within 2024 · EA · $135k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Hellsplit: Arena | older | $24.99 | 3,735 83% | 112k | $2.8M (exactly $2,800,130) | Deep Type Games |
| | Undead Citadel | older | $29.99 | 288 72% | 8.6k | $259k (exactly $259,114) | Dark Curry S.L. |
| | Ed-0: Zombie Uprising | older | $29.99 | 211 72% | 6.3k | $190k (exactly $189,837) | LANCARSE |
| | Unsouled | older | $19.99 | 265 72% | 8.0k | $159k (exactly $158,920) | Megusta Game |
| | Knights Within | · EA older | $17.99 | 250 95% | 7.5k | $135k (exactly $134,925) | Indecision Labs |
 | Tracery of Fate | $19.99 | 129 73% | 3.9k | $77k (exactly $77,361) | Sign Narva | |
 | Breath of Life | $14.99 | 104 78% | 3.1k | $47k (exactly $46,769) | Satur Entertainment | |
 | Sancticide | $19.99 | 58 62% | 1.7k | $35k (exactly $34,783) | Red Square Games, Sylen Studio | |
 | Heidelberg 1693 | older | $14.99 | 61 81% | 1.8k | $27k (exactly $27,432) | Andrade Games |
 | Sword Mistress of the Dungeon Town | $17.99 | 38 65% | 1.1k | $21k (exactly $20,509) | ラブリープリチー超愛してる, Lovely Pretty Ultra Lov… (ラブリープリチー超愛してる, Lovely Pretty Ultra Loving You) | |
 | RHYTHMIC | · EA | $9.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | Polar Studios Robin Kammel |
 | Praise To The Moon | $4.99 | 4 50% | 120 | $599 (exactly $599) | PolarCatStudio, MayaraCrulcifer | |
 | Pixel Troopers | · EA | $4.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | Liberator Studios |
 | Jumpscare Slayer | $3.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $359 (exactly $359) | Rusimitu Games | |
 | Residual Wilds | $4.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $150 (exactly $150) | Magic Art Hat | |
 | The Last Village | · EA | $2.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $90 (exactly $90) | Skrixx |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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