Do I ship it?

Games › 3D Platformer › 3D Platformer + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer 3D Platformer?

3D Platformer + 2D Platformer

Of 90 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer 3D Platformer 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.. 98 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $270 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 44 developers shipped in the last year and 98 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 180% on the market, 98 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
3D Platformer + 2D Platformer
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: $5.2k → $479 → $539 → $450 → $180 → $599 → $150 (still earning) → $836 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 3D Platformer + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 90
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $270 (exactly $270)
Top 25% $2.7k (exactly $2,697)
Top 5% $299k (exactly $298,700)
Developers, 2 yr 90
Released games 267
Announced 98
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 180% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

3D Platformer
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
3D Platformer, 2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Platformer, Action, Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 2D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 18,188 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $270, 1 in 4 over $2.6k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 9 in 10 of the 58 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 98 games are announced against 44 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

3D Platformer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + TransportationFair13 devs · median $3.1k · 12 announced
  2. + MiningFair11 devs · median $1.3k · 11 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair36 devs · median $748 · 29 announced
  4. + GolfFair16 devs · median $719 · 16 announced
  5. + Visual NovelFair44 devs · median $716 · 39 announced
  6. + SokobanFair12 devs · median $599 · 9 announced
  7. + Survival HorrorFair111 devs · median $539 · 104 announced
  8. + Perma DeathFair36 devs · median $537 · 36 announced
  9. + AutomationFair25 devs · median $450 · 21 announced
  10. + OffroadLong shot14 devs · median $478 · 12 announced
  11. + Looter ShooterLong shot23 devs · median $449 · 16 announced
  12. + CatsLong shot66 devs · median $420 · 74 announced

All 216 pairs on the 3D Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Sonic Generations Collection 2011 · $32M SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS 2024 · $18M The Plucky Squire 2024 · $2.5M Chinese Online Game 2024 · $2.0M Sonic Colors: Ultimate 2023 · $1.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sonic Generations Collection older $51.79 20,304 93% 609k $32M (exactly $31,546,325) Devil's Details
SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS $49.99 12,178 96% 365k $18M (exactly $18,263,347) Sonic Team
The Plucky Squire $29.99 2,795 84% 84k $2.5M (exactly $2,514,662) All Possible Futures
Chinese Online Game older $9.99 6,610 82% 198k $2.0M (exactly $1,981,017) 648工作室
Sonic Colors: Ultimate older $39.99 1,377 68% 41k $1.7M (exactly $1,651,987) Blind Squirrel Entertainment
KYOTO XANADU -the Blooming Phantom- $54.99 403 78% 12k $665k (exactly $664,829) Nihon Falcom
OlliOlli World older $19.99 898 93% 27k $539k (exactly $538,531) Roll7
Tomba! Special Edition older $19.99 720 88% 22k $432k (exactly $431,784) Limited Run Games
Winion Virus $10.99 980 94% 29k $323k (exactly $323,106) Dawntown Studio
GEX Trilogy $29.99 332 71% 10k $299k (exactly $298,700) Limited Run Games, Crystal Dynamics
Possessor(s) $9.99 718 75% 22k $215k (exactly $215,185) Heart Machine
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection $19.99 216 84% 6.5k $130k (exactly $129,535) Limited Run Games
Gloomy Eyes $24.99 155 94% 4.7k $116k (exactly $116,204) Atlas V, Be Revolution Gaming, 3Dar, Fi… (Atlas V, Be Revolution Gaming, 3Dar, Fishing Cactus, ARTE France)
Head's Adventures:chibichibi $7.99 334 97% 10k $80k (exactly $80,060) ManaWanderer
PROGRESS ORDERS $19.99 77 36% 2.3k $46k (exactly $46,177) HAKAMA Inc.

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