Do I ship it?

GamesFMVFMV + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer FMV?

FMV + 2D Platformer

Of 39 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer FMV 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.. 75 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 29 developers shipped in the last year and 75 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 75 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FMV + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 39
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $7.6k → $62k → $300 → $24k → $0 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FMV + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 39
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $298 (exactly $298)
Top 25% $1.7k (exactly $1,663)
Top 5% $340k (exactly $340,361)
Developers, 2 yr 39
Released games 69
Announced 75
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 190% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 4%, 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.

FMV
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
FMV, 2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, RPG, Interactive Fiction
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 4,095 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 $300, 1 in 4 over $1.6k, 1 in 20 over $340k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 75 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SurvivalStrong odds14 devs · median $74k · 10 announced
  2. + Post-apocalypticStrong odds8 devs · median $74k · 5 announced
  3. + StrategyStrong odds50 devs · median $65k · 27 announced
  4. + Multiple EndingsStrong odds128 devs · median $65k · 93 announced
  5. + Immersive SimStrong odds112 devs · median $63k · 58 announced
  6. + Choices MatterStrong odds108 devs · median $58k · 91 announced
  7. + Dating SimStrong odds148 devs · median $57k · 111 announced
  8. + RomanceStrong odds101 devs · median $56k · 63 announced
  9. + SimulationStrong odds150 devs · median $55k · 81 announced
  10. + JRPGStrong odds12 devs · median $54k · 6 announced
  11. + Visual NovelStrong odds166 devs · median $54k · 146 announced
  12. + RPGStrong odds169 devs · median $54k · 144 announced

All 63 pairs on the FMV page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
JR EAST Train Simulator older $22.99 1,224 77% 37k $844k (exactly $844,193) ONGAKUKAN Co.,Ltd.
Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore older $19.99 893 96% 27k $536k (exactly $535,532) Seedy Eye Software
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
Blood Money: Lethal Eden $8.99 1,262 91% 38k $340k (exactly $340,361) 碧火互娱
Breaker of fatalism $10.99 613 88% 18k $202k (exactly $202,106) showplay entertainment
Japanese Rail Sim: Journey to Kyoto older $59.99 111 87% 3.3k $200k (exactly $199,767) Sonic Powered Co.,Ltd.
重生了还要我谈恋爱? older $7.99 428 90% 13k $103k (exactly $102,592) 画域互动
Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit $19.99 122 81% 3.7k $73k (exactly $73,163) Retroware, Programancer, Mega Cat Studi… (Retroware, Programancer, Mega Cat Studios)
Dream Lust $4.99 412 84% 12k $62k (exactly $61,676) Cat Paw Game
Iron Disco older $9.99 101 68% 3.0k $30k (exactly $30,270) Towndarktales
Deadland Garden $3.99 200 92% 6.0k $24k (exactly $23,940) Ronin SoftWork
Obey the Insect God $19.99 23 100% 690 $14k (exactly $13,793) Chunkle Freaky's Movies Games, Charles… (Chunkle Freaky's Movies Games, Charles Davis)
Splash Shot Golf Legend $19.99 22 54% 660 $13k (exactly $13,193) TANUKIHOUSE
Earnest Evans Collection $49.99 7 42% 210 $10k (exactly $10,498) Mighty Rabbit Studios, Headless Chicken… (Mighty Rabbit Studios, Headless Chicken Games)
INFINITY DEADLINE $0.99 56 94% 1.7k $1.7k (exactly $1,663) YvelRevo

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