Do I ship it?

Games › Asynchronous Multiplayer › Asynchronous Multiplayer + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Asynchronous Multiplayer 2D Platformer?

Asynchronous Multiplayer + 2D Platformer

Of 21 developers who shipped an Asynchronous Multiplayer 2D 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.. 14 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $120 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 12 developers shipped in the last year and 14 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 64330% on the market, 14 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Asynchronous Multiplayer + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $628 → $297 → $7.3k → $0 → $538 → $539 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Asynchronous Multiplayer + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $120 (exactly $120)
Top 25% $809 (exactly $809)
Top 5% $7.3k (exactly $7,302)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 46
Announced 14
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $3.99

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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Asynchronous Multiplayer
effort 5 / 10 · low · a backend with accounts and persistent turns
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
Asynchronous Multiplayer, 2D Platformer; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Arcade
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 206 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 $120, 1 in 4 over $800, 1 in 20 over $7.3k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 14 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Asynchronous Multiplayer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Turn-BasedStrong odds13 devs · median $60k · 10 announced
  2. + Artificial IntelligenceStrong odds10 devs · median $25k · 12 announced
  3. + Immersive SimFair8 devs · median $17k · 10 announced
  4. + Board GameFair30 devs · median $6.7k · 33 announced
  5. + WarFair14 devs · median $6.0k · 20 announced
  6. + Turn-Based StrategyFair43 devs · median $3.6k · 54 announced
  7. + Strategy RPGFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  8. + SpaceLong shot15 devs · median $299 · 18 announced
  9. + Tactical RPGPoor odds10 devs · median $63k · 16 announced
  10. + Inventory ManagementPoor odds21 devs · median $56k · 48 announced
  11. + AutomationPoor odds12 devs · median $56k · 18 announced
  12. + MedievalPoor odds13 devs · median $53k · 38 announced

All 76 pairs on the Asynchronous Multiplayer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

No Retreat! The Russian Front 2026 · $72k Bots Are Stupid 2022 · $63k Eden Genesis 2024 · $61k Step By Step 2023 · $18k Erotic Rhythm 2024 · $7.3k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
No Retreat! The Russian Front $29.99 80 76% 2.4k $72k (exactly $71,976) Cyril Jarnot, Avalon Digital
Bots Are Stupid older $12.99 161 77% 4.8k $63k (exactly $62,742) Leander Edler-Golla
Eden Genesis older $24.99 81 92% 2.4k $61k (exactly $60,726) Aeternum Game Studios S.L
Step By Step older $9.99 61 96% 1.8k $18k (exactly $18,282) Tripp Rainey, Brice DiPiazza
Erotic Rhythm $3.99 61 90% 1.8k $7.3k (exactly $7,302) Naku Kinoko
OCO older $4.99 38 89% 1.1k $5.7k (exactly $5,689) SPECTRUM48
ジャリネスハートPro $6.99 14 100% 420 $2.9k (exactly $2,936) savedtekty a.k.a てく
在异世界打怪的修仙者 $3.99 24 79% 720 $2.9k (exactly $2,873) xiaoyuefei
HIGhSCORE older $3.99 23 100% 690 $2.8k (exactly $2,753) Manuel Branco
Jumpman (C64/MSDOS) older $2.99 26 80% 780 $2.3k (exactly $2,332) Epyx, Inc.
JOTT : Jump Over The Time $4.99 10 100% 300 $1.5k (exactly $1,497) Gamezel
Casa De Diamantes $8.99 3 100% 90 $809 (exactly $809) SoulPixel Studio
STOMPIT $5.99 3 100% 90 $539 (exactly $539) LITTLEBIG GAMES
Omashu: Snail Racing $2.99 6 100% 180 $538 (exactly $538) The Indie Accord
AirShooShoo $2.99 4 100% 120 $359 (exactly $359) OldMan Inc.
Dote On Me: Desktop Pet $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) HEJINJU

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