Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Dating Sim

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dating Sim 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Dating Sim

Of 165 developers who shipped a Dating Sim 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.. 223 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.2k, ×6.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $370k, ×783 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 223 games are announced against 93 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 223 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Dating Sim
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 165
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $8.9k → $7.6k → $8.6k → $19k → $3.6k → $4.2k → $1.5k (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Dating Sim: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 165
Bottom 30% $360 (exactly $360)
Median $3.2k (exactly $3,229)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $18,114)
Top 5% $372k (exactly $371,851)
Developers, 2 yr 165
Released games 391
Announced 223
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $8.99

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 50% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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
Dating Sim
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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, Dating Sim; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Visual Novel, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 13,082 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $3.2k, 1 in 4 over $18k, 1 in 20 over $370k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 93 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 223 games are announced against 93 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

魔女的夜宴 2023 · $10M Hamidashi Creative 2022 · $2.1M 候鸟 2023 · $1.2M Koi x Shin Ai Kanojo 2023 · $1.2M 灾厄黑龙与谎言公主 2025 · $1.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
魔女的夜宴 older $34.99 9,664 98% 290k $10M (exactly $10,144,301) YUZUSOFT
Hamidashi Creative older $29.99 2,360 94% 71k $2.1M (exactly $2,123,292) madosoft
候鸟 older $10.99 3,674 97% 110k $1.2M (exactly $1,211,318) KIDFansClub
Koi x Shin Ai Kanojo older $34.99 1,104 88% 33k $1.2M (exactly $1,158,869) Us:track
灾厄黑龙与谎言公主 $9.99 3,682 90% 110k $1.1M (exactly $1,103,495) 莓夜工作室
Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen -École de Paris- older $39.99 879 96% 26k $1.1M (exactly $1,054,536) Navel
Cyanotype Daydream -The Girl Who Dreamed the World- older $39.99 710 88% 21k $852k (exactly $851,787) Laplacian
The Censor DX Edition $17.99 1,467 82% 44k $792k (exactly $791,740) Tiramisu, Big S Studio
Aonatsu Line older $34.99 644 91% 19k $676k (exactly $676,007) GIGA, Entergram
Yusetsu older $16.99 1,262 88% 38k $643k (exactly $643,241) DSGame
Goblin Vyke: The Thief Tycoon $14.99 1,397 70% 42k $628k (exactly $628,231) Art Thieves
AIR $29.99 639 98% 19k $575k (exactly $574,908) VISUAL ARTS/Key
Taiwan Love Story⁵ $17.99 939 84% 28k $507k (exactly $506,778) 快樂怪物, 紳士吉娃, Maker製造機
V-LOVER! $10.99 1,439 89% 43k $474k (exactly $474,438) Hentopia
FLAM EVAW $9.99 1,378 95% 41k $413k (exactly $412,987) 北京万合瑞晟文化传媒有限公司
Hatsuyuki Sakura $29.99 447 92% 13k $402k (exactly $402,166) SAGA PLANETS
BUNNY GARDEN 2 $24.99 496 92% 15k $372k (exactly $371,851) qureate
NEKOPARA After $9.99 1,198 90% 36k $359k (exactly $359,041) NEKO WORKs

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