Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Dynamic Narration

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dynamic Narration 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Dynamic Narration

Of 20 developers who shipped a Dynamic Narration 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.. 24 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $510, ×1.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×629 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 24 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 24 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Dynamic Narration
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $660 → $60 → $90 → $2.6k → $4.3k → $2.5k → $269 (still earning) → $30 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Dynamic Narration: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $505 (exactly $505)
Top 25% $2.6k (exactly $2,638)
Top 5% $299k (exactly $298,700)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 53
Announced 24
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 down 65% 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
Dynamic Narration
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 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, Dynamic Narration; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Collectathon, Dating Sim, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Comedy
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 475 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $510, 1 in 4 over $2.6k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 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

Songs for a Hero - Definitive Edition 2016 · $1.1M Lakeview Cabin Collection 2015 · $479k GEX Trilogy 2025 · $299k A Highland Song 2023 · $298k COGEN: Sword of Rewind / COGEN: 大鳥こはくと刻の剣 2022 · $84k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Songs for a Hero - Definitive Edition older $14.99 2,414 96% 72k $1.1M (exactly $1,085,576) Dumativa, Castro Brothers
Lakeview Cabin Collection older $9.99 1,599 94% 48k $479k (exactly $479,220) Roope Tamminen
GEX Trilogy $29.99 332 71% 10k $299k (exactly $298,700) Limited Run Games, Crystal Dynamics
A Highland Song older $17.99 553 87% 17k $298k (exactly $298,454) inkle Ltd
COGEN: Sword of Rewind / COGEN: 大鳥こはくと刻の剣 older $24.99 112 67% 3.4k $84k (exactly $83,966) Gemdrops, Inc.
VINE older $14.99 40 82% 1.2k $18k (exactly $17,988) FrogParty
Rain City older $3.99 127 56% 3.8k $15k (exactly $15,202) big pineapple
Fan Speak $6.99 39 94% 1.2k $8.2k (exactly $8,178) Fan Speak Studio
Dynasty Detective older $14.99 13 61% 390 $5.8k (exactly $5,846) COSDOTS
Upstream $7.99 18 100% 540 $4.3k (exactly $4,315) Gllama Games
Angel Club $6.99 20 65% 600 $4.2k (exactly $4,194) イルカのヒレ
Targeosity Horror $10.99 8 75% 240 $2.6k (exactly $2,638) aDeCon Production
Unfair Rampage: Knightfall $5.99 14 85% 420 $2.5k (exactly $2,516) Imphenzia
Knight of the Lions $5.99 12 83% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) Eugene Zubko
Little Squirrel Cabin $4.99 9 88% 270 $1.3k (exactly $1,347) LSC Games
Necromancer-I'm the Scourge！ $3.99 6 50% 180 $718 (exactly $718) FalooGames
Kill Dee $0.99 17 82% 510 $505 (exactly $505) BYE BYE, BUYBYEGames

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