Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Battler 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Card Battler

Of 51 developers who shipped a Card 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $210 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 29 developers shipped in the last year and 67 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 440% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 51
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.0k → $89 → $239 → $210 → $60 → $897 → $179 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 51
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $179 (exactly $179)
Top 25% $1.2k (exactly $1,198)
Top 5% $27k (exactly $27,395)
Developers, 2 yr 51
Released games 119
Announced 67
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 up 440% on the market, supply 30% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Card Battler; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Game, Turn-Based Combat
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 1,080 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 $180, 1 in 4 over $1.1k, 1 in 20 over $27k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. Nearly all of the 31 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 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

觅长生 2023 · $12M ROUNDS 2021 · $6.4M Koi-Koi Japan [Hanafuda playing cards] 2015 · $287k Endless Voyage / 无尽航线 2021 · $207k YGGDRA REFRAIN 2025 · $93k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
觅长生 older $14.99 27,072 93% 812k $12M (exactly $12,174,278) Chalcedony Network
ROUNDS older $5.99 35,738 95% 1.1M $6.4M (exactly $6,422,119) Landfall
Koi-Koi Japan [Hanafuda playing cards] older $9.99 957 92% 29k $287k (exactly $286,813) Zoo Corporation
Endless Voyage / 无尽航线 older $16.99 407 65% 12k $207k (exactly $207,448) Dalaran Game Studio
YGGDRA REFRAIN $9.99 311 79% 9.3k $93k (exactly $93,207) BD
Bearnard older $16.99 152 97% 4.6k $77k (exactly $77,474) Michał Wikliński
Song's Fantasy $7.99 229 55% 6.9k $55k (exactly $54,891) 南十字座工作室
Idle Quest Simulator $4.99 183 78% 5.5k $27k (exactly $27,395) 所以然
魔哆魔哆 Modo Modo $7.99 94 95% 2.8k $23k (exactly $22,532) HAJI HEAVY INDUSTIRES
九州风流 · EA older $17.99 38 60% 1.1k $21k (exactly $20,509) GB
WARPATH OF THE UNIVERSE $5.99 64 76% 1.9k $12k (exactly $11,501) Sora
Forbidden Scrolls : Midnight Whispers $10.99 31 80% 930 $10k (exactly $10,221) Ero Echo Studio
MY DIRECT DAMAG 7 TRILLION $2.99 94 71% 2.8k $8.4k (exactly $8,432) 真香工作室
JACKPOISON $8.99 25 44% 750 $6.7k (exactly $6,742) oyajinojiike
Duck N Roll $6.99 30 96% 900 $6.3k (exactly $6,291) GoldPumpkin Inc.
Calice $9.99 19 84% 570 $5.7k (exactly $5,694) Nesiya

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