Do I ship it?

GamesGrand StrategyGrand Strategy + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer Grand Strategy?

Grand Strategy + 2D Platformer

Only 19 developers shipped a 2D Platformer Grand Strategy in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Skyline Urban Story, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $22k, ×15 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 18 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 18 announced, ×1.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Grand Strategy + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 19
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $478 → $809 → $624 → $629 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Grand Strategy + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 19
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,497)
Top 5% $22k (exactly $22,228)
Developers, 2 yr 19
Released games 49
Announced 18
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 up 35% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Grand Strategy
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low 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
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Grand Strategy, 2D Platformer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Action, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 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 $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 230 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 $600, 1 in 4 over $1.4k, 1 in 20 over $22k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RoguelikeFair18 devs · median $3.3k · 22 announced
  2. + SportsFair21 devs · median $2.1k · 26 announced
  3. + RogueliteFair21 devs · median $2.0k · 23 announced
  4. + CrimeFair8 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + RacingFair8 devs · median $1.8k · 7 announced
  6. + IncrementalFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 27 announced
  7. + Artificial IntelligenceLong shot21 devs · median $750 · 38 announced
  8. + TabletopLong shot26 devs · median $450 · 26 announced
  9. + Turn-BasedPoor odds19 devs · median $131k · 20 announced
  10. + SandboxPoor odds59 devs · median $51k · 125 announced
  11. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds15 devs · median $37k · 29 announced
  12. + DiplomacyPoor odds54 devs · median $34k · 117 announced

All 104 pairs on the Grand Strategy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Skyline Urban Story $6.99 106 90% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,228) PandaUpStudio
Grand War: Rome older $12.99 51 76% 1.5k $20k (exactly $19,875) Joynow Studio
Suns of Wiraqocha older $4.99 64 98% 1.9k $9.6k (exactly $9,581) Alejandro Medina, Rafael Gonzalez-Otoya… (Alejandro Medina, Rafael Gonzalez-Otoya B., Adrian Blume)
Dynasty Game 2 $7.99 29 65% 870 $7.0k (exactly $6,951) Yocone
Road Builder older $9.99 22 77% 660 $6.6k (exactly $6,593) MS GAMES
Gold Defence $9.99 20 65% 600 $6.0k (exactly $5,994) Gamesforgames
The Armed Shadow $9.99 17 94% 510 $5.1k (exactly $5,095) Gamesforgames
Inflafrog: Collector's Edition $4.99 28 100% 840 $4.2k (exactly $4,192) Nice Cream
佣兵战歌 older $2.99 45 46% 1.4k $4.0k (exactly $4,037) 酷呐网络科技
The Inseparables $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Gamesforgames
Shield Operator $4.99 10 50% 300 $1.5k (exactly $1,497) Puantaun Studio
Mercatoria · EA $14.99 3 33% 90 $1.3k (exactly $1,349) DKS
Trials Of Randoom $8.99 3 100% 90 $809 (exactly $809) Teion Games
长安首富模拟器 $6.99 3 33% 90 $629 (exactly $629) 节奏互娱

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