Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Dark Fantasy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dark-Fantasy 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Dark Fantasy

Of 210 developers who shipped a Dark-Fantasy 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.. 401 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.1 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $310k, ×509 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 401 games are announced against 124 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 15% on the market, 401 announced, ×3.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Dark Fantasy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 210
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $600 → $2.7k → $2.4k → $1.5k → $750 → $1.8k (still earning) → $419 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Dark Fantasy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 210
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,349)
Top 25% $10k (exactly $10,221)
Top 5% $320k (exactly $319,760)
Developers, 2 yr 210
Released games 569
Announced 401
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 15% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Dark Fantasy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Platformer
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 16,735 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 $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $310k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 102 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 401 games are announced against 124 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Platformer with a different setting or mood, 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
Blasphemous 2 older $29.99 16,808 91% 504k $15M (exactly $15,122,158) The Game Kitchen
Mina the Hollower $19.99 7,562 88% 227k $4.5M (exactly $4,534,931) Yacht Club Games
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight older $9.99 10,502 93% 315k $3.1M (exactly $3,147,449) Bombservice
MO:Astray older $14.99 4,058 92% 122k $1.8M (exactly $1,824,883) Archpray Inc.
Castlevania Dominus Collection older $24.99 2,362 94% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,791) KONAMI
Haiku, the Robot older $19.99 2,576 90% 77k $1.5M (exactly $1,544,827) Mister Morris Games
The End Is Nigh older $14.99 3,291 93% 99k $1.5M (exactly $1,479,963) Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
Castlevania Advance Collection older $19.99 2,149 91% 64k $1.3M (exactly $1,288,755) KONAMI
Dragon Marked For Death older $39.99 985 77% 30k $1.2M (exactly $1,181,704) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection older $29.99 1,306 74% 39k $1.2M (exactly $1,175,008) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Lucky Tower Ultimate $14.99 2,281 94% 68k $1.0M (exactly $1,025,766) Studio Seufz
Bye Sweet Carole $24.99 1,039 72% 31k $779k (exactly $778,938) Little Sewing Machine
AWAKEN - Astral Blade $19.99 1,121 82% 34k $672k (exactly $672,264) Dark Pigeon Games
The Devil Within: Satgat $24.99 795 78% 24k $596k (exactly $596,012) Newcore Games
Voidwrought $19.99 936 77% 28k $561k (exactly $561,319) Powersnake
JUMP KING QUEST $14.99 1,202 88% 36k $541k (exactly $540,539) Nexile
Solateria $19.99 710 83% 21k $426k (exactly $425,787) Studio Doodal
Dragon Is Dead $19.99 661 75% 20k $396k (exactly $396,402) TeamSuneat
Fatal Claw $24.99 428 89% 13k $321k (exactly $320,872) NDEV GAMES

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