Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Choose Your Own Adventure

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Choose Your Own Adventure 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Choose Your Own Adventure

Of 90 developers who shipped a Choose Your Own Adventure 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.. 116 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×3.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $570k, ×1210 the market median. Revenue is up 75% on the market; 116 games are announced against 56 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 75% on the market, 116 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Choose Your Own Adventure
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: $600 → $2.1k → $1.5k → $2.2k → $1.3k → $4.6k → $2.2k (still earning) → $449 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Choose Your Own Adventure: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 90
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,794)
Top 25% $6.8k (exactly $6,829)
Top 5% $575k (exactly $574,908)
Developers, 2 yr 90
Released games 263
Announced 116
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 75% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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
Choose Your Own Adventure
effort 2 / 10 · high · branching text with light state

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Choose Your Own Adventure; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Visual Novel, Choices Matter
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 8,100 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $6.8k, 1 in 20 over $570k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 54 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 116 games are announced against 56 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo older $19.99 6,123 95% 184k $3.7M (exactly $3,671,963) Square Enix
To Be or Not to Be older $12.99 8,035 89% 241k $3.1M (exactly $3,131,240) Team K
Lucky Tower Ultimate $14.99 2,281 94% 68k $1.0M (exactly $1,025,766) Studio Seufz
Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED $29.99 949 96% 28k $854k (exactly $853,815) TYPE-MOON, fuzz Inc.
Cyanotype Daydream -The Girl Who Dreamed the World- older $39.99 710 88% 21k $852k (exactly $851,787) Laplacian
Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary $24.99 987 95% 30k $740k (exactly $739,954) Laplacian
Yusetsu older $16.99 1,262 88% 38k $643k (exactly $643,241) DSGame
Kemono Teatime $12.99 1,617 95% 49k $630k (exactly $630,145) Studio Lalala, Kotoneiro, WHO YOU
AIR $29.99 639 98% 19k $575k (exactly $574,908) VISUAL ARTS/Key
McPixel 3 older $9.99 1,199 96% 36k $359k (exactly $359,340) Sos Sosowski
Stellar Code $24.98 448 97% 13k $336k (exactly $335,731) Fragaria
緋月仙行錄 $19.99 454 57% 14k $272k (exactly $272,264) 月光草
Decollate Decoration $8.99 450 93% 14k $121k (exactly $121,365) KANEKODO
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)
Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery! $17.99 120 81% 3.6k $65k (exactly $64,764) Shadow Glove

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