Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Auto Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Auto Battler 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Auto Battler

Of 35 developers who shipped an Auto Battler 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.. 39 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $420 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 16 developers shipped in the last year and 39 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 30% on the market, 39 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Auto Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 35
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $748 → $419 → $600 → $861 → $17k → $683 (still earning) → $95 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Auto Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 35
Bottom 30% $95 (exactly $95)
Median $359 (exactly $359)
Top 25% $1.2k (exactly $1,198)
Top 5% $29k (exactly $29,397)
Developers, 2 yr 35
Released games 90
Announced 39
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 30% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Auto Battler
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
2D Platformer, Auto Battler; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelite, Roguelike
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 670 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $95, median $360, 1 in 4 over $1.1k, 1 in 20 over $29k.

3 in 10 developers made under $95. Nearly all of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 39 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Platformer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + JRPGFair150 devs · median $4.2k · 157 announced
  2. + VampiresFair47 devs · median $1.9k · 50 announced
  3. + MechsFair33 devs · median $1.8k · 44 announced
  4. + PinballFair13 devs · median $1.6k · 9 announced
  5. + WesternFair10 devs · median $1.3k · 13 announced
  6. + CRPGFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  7. + Psychological HorrorFair178 devs · median $1.0k · 185 announced
  8. + Arena ShooterFair45 devs · median $809 · 43 announced
  9. + MiningFair38 devs · median $748 · 45 announced
  10. + RoguelikeFair264 devs · median $599 · 320 announced
  11. + Party-Based RPGFair55 devs · median $599 · 42 announced
  12. + Tactical RPGFair58 devs · median $599 · 49 announced

All 226 pairs on the 2D Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED 2024 · $491k High Sea Saga DX 2023 · $135k Arcane Trigger 2025 · $98k Cursed Treasure 2 Ultimate Edition - Tower Defense 2022 · $94k The Alchemist of Ars Magna 2023 · $37k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED older $9.99 1,639 69% 49k $491k (exactly $491,208) SNK CORPORATION
High Sea Saga DX older $8.99 501 81% 15k $135k (exactly $135,120) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Arcane Trigger $8.99 363 85% 11k $98k (exactly $97,901) MiniWhale
Cursed Treasure 2 Ultimate Edition - Tower Defense older $8.99 350 78% 11k $94k (exactly $94,395) IriySoft
The Alchemist of Ars Magna older $39.99 31 77% 930 $37k (exactly $37,191) Ninetail
Pro Wrestler Story $8.99 109 49% 3.3k $29k (exactly $29,397) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Boxing Gym Story older $10.99 79 68% 2.4k $26k (exactly $26,046) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Loser Got Isekai’d -Gotta Conquer the Girls Before Conquering the World- $13.99 41 75% 1.2k $17k (exactly $17,208) Morexingame
Golden Warden $9.99 50 94% 1.5k $15k (exactly $14,985) xpii
Planet TD older $2.99 124 73% 3.7k $11k (exactly $11,123) MD Games
Duck N Roll $6.99 30 96% 900 $6.3k (exactly $6,291) GoldPumpkin Inc.
journey of reincarnation $7.99 25 92% 750 $6.0k (exactly $5,992) MSBgamadev
多元守卫者 Diverse Defenders $4.99 34 97% 1.0k $5.1k (exactly $5,090) 寂静四周
Mercenary Squad Auto Chess $5.99 9 66% 270 $1.6k (exactly $1,617) Ibuprofun
Fengdu Chronicles of battle · EA $7.99 5 40% 150 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) Fun Workshop
Entropy Architects $7.99 4 25% 120 $959 (exactly $959) Nexus Forge Studio

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