Do I ship it?

GamesEconomyEconomy + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer Economy game?

Economy + 2D Platformer

Of 31 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer Economy game 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.. 51 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $630, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $44k, ×70 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 51 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 51 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Economy + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $65k → $18k → $300 → $1.1k → $18k → $1.3k (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Economy + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $629 (exactly $629)
Top 25% $8.6k (exactly $8,629)
Top 5% $44k (exactly $44,231)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 92
Announced 51
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 100% on the market, supply 420% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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.

Economy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium 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
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Economy, 2D Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Strategy, Management
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 98% positive over 17,379 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $630, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $44k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 5 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 51 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorFair116 devs · median $22k · 125 announced
  2. + Football (Soccer)Fair21 devs · median $6.8k · 29 announced
  3. + ScienceFair39 devs · median $5.9k · 39 announced
  4. + MiningFair116 devs · median $5.0k · 173 announced
  5. + LootFair74 devs · median $4.6k · 114 announced
  6. + CollectathonFair125 devs · median $3.8k · 151 announced
  7. + God GameFair47 devs · median $2.8k · 58 announced
  8. + Auto BattlerFair59 devs · median $2.4k · 79 announced
  9. + IdlerFair441 devs · median $2.3k · 589 announced
  10. + IncrementalFair408 devs · median $2.2k · 612 announced
  11. + ArcadeFair199 devs · median $2.1k · 285 announced
  12. + Strategy RPGFair95 devs · median $2.0k · 128 announced

All 161 pairs on the Economy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Shelldiver $4.99 16,806 98% 504k $2.5M (exactly $2,515,858) Gagonfe
Dream Town Island older $12.99 490 95% 15k $191k (exactly $190,953) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Magical Delicacy older $24.99 240 77% 7.2k $180k (exactly $179,928) Skaule
The Sushi Spinnery older $8.99 411 92% 12k $111k (exactly $110,847) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Jumbo Airport Story older $8.99 355 89% 11k $96k (exactly $95,744) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Burger Bistro Story older $8.99 319 81% 9.6k $86k (exactly $86,034) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Mega Mall Story older $8.99 302 94% 9.1k $81k (exactly $81,449) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Pocket Academy 3 older $10.99 237 91% 7.1k $78k (exactly $78,139) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Station Manager older $12.99 194 79% 5.8k $76k (exactly $75,602) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
The Manga Works older $8.99 253 67% 7.6k $68k (exactly $68,234) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Heian City Story $8.99 164 85% 4.9k $44k (exactly $44,231) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Yuma Nest · EA $19.99 57 89% 1.7k $34k (exactly $34,183) Piokou
Skyline Urban Story $6.99 106 90% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,228) PandaUpStudio
Stocks: Main Force Simulator · EA $8.99 67 88% 2.0k $18k (exactly $18,070) LoneCat
Sunset Game Shop Shayou $9.99 41 90% 1.2k $12k (exactly $12,288) Lobstudio
Football Fictional World Simulator $14.99 24 75% 720 $11k (exactly $10,793) keigo0221
FolkOrigin $7.99 36 88% 1.1k $8.6k (exactly $8,629) LukaszD
The Peak of Life $8.99 30 66% 900 $8.1k (exactly $8,091) XY Game
Deep Sea Fish: Hidden World $3.99 48 70% 1.4k $5.7k (exactly $5,746) Althea Games

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