Do I ship it?

Games › CRPG › CRPG + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer CRPG?

CRPG + 2D Platformer

Of 62 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer CRPG 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.. 76 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×0.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $270. Revenue is up 25% on the market; 76 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 25% on the market, 76 announced, ×1.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 62
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $2.7k → $419 → $1.5k → $4.2k → $525 → $2.1k (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 62
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,198)
Top 25% $8.1k (exactly $8,092)
Top 5% $55k (exactly $54,891)
Developers, 2 yr 62
Released games 171
Announced 76
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 25% on the market, supply 75% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low 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
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, 2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy RPG, JRPG
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 7,994 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $8.0k, 1 in 20 over $54k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 34 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 76 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  6. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  7. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  8. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  9. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  10. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced
  12. + DeckbuildingPoor odds12 devs · median $19k · 27 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Threefold Recital 2025 · $2.3M Chinese Online Game 2024 · $2.0M Psychic Kung Fu Master 2026 · $1.0M Bahamut2-dragon's bride 2021 · $175k 月藍傳奇REMAKE古文明之謎 2024 · $146k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Threefold Recital $14.99 5,117 98% 154k $2.3M (exactly $2,301,115) Everscape Games
Chinese Online Game older $9.99 6,610 82% 198k $2.0M (exactly $1,981,017) 648工作室
Psychic Kung Fu Master $19.99 1,723 60% 52k $1.0M (exactly $1,033,283) 金十四工作室
Bahamut2-dragon's bride older $9.99 584 97% 18k $175k (exactly $175,025) 王韋
月藍傳奇REMAKE古文明之謎 older $19.99 244 93% 7.3k $146k (exactly $146,327) 天使蛋糕, 攸藍, 牙籤, 黃金, 咕咕咕, 鎧特
大衍江湖 - Evolution Of JiangHu older $4.99 688 60% 21k $103k (exactly $102,994) SourceIn Games
STRANGER SAGA -Stranger Bach and Iskiyeld's Ambition- $9.89 225 86% 6.8k $67k (exactly $66,758) Retro Game Balance & Mechanics -レトロ… (Retro Game Balance & Mechanics -レトロゲームの手応えとバランスを追求するデザイン工房-)
Song's Fantasy $7.99 229 55% 6.9k $55k (exactly $54,891) 南十字座工作室
巴哈姆特1-REMAKE(BAHAMUT1-REMAKE) $9.99 170 95% 5.1k $51k (exactly $50,949) 王韋
爱人 Lover older $6.99 242 75% 7.3k $51k (exactly $50,747) 埋月山枯
Immortal Farmer: System’s Mandate · EA $4.99 297 68% 8.9k $44k (exactly $44,461) oyogame
WiZmans World Re;Try $24.99 51 74% 1.5k $38k (exactly $38,235) CITY CONNECTION
Dramatic Road : the origin of wind $13.99 42 97% 1.3k $18k (exactly $17,627) Alaska Ohdanbu
山上那个猴儿 $8.99 56 76% 1.7k $15k (exactly $15,103) 追忆创造
Dark Bone Prison $5.99 84 95% 2.5k $15k (exactly $15,095) Bunny Moon Shady

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