Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Idler

Of 92 developers who shipped an Idler 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.. 91 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $540, ×1.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $150. Revenue is up 140% on the market; 91 games are announced against 63 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 140% on the market, 91 announced, ×1.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 92
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $148 → $359 → $416 → $897 → $297 → $1.6k → $683 (still earning) → $420 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 92
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $539 (exactly $539)
Top 25% $2.2k (exactly $2,155)
Top 5% $44k (exactly $44,132)
Developers, 2 yr 92
Released games 229
Announced 91
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 140% on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Idler; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Incremental, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 20,168 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $540, 1 in 4 over $2.1k, 1 in 20 over $44k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 41 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 91 games are announced against 63 developers who shipped in the last year.

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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Shelldiver $4.99 16,806 98% 504k $2.5M (exactly $2,515,858) Gagonfe
Luna's Fishing Garden older $7.99 1,689 93% 51k $405k (exactly $404,853) Coldwild Games, illufinch
欺神弄鬼 · EA $9.99 802 91% 24k $240k (exactly $240,359) 猫台班子工作室 Cat Caboodle
Whimsy Bake&Craft $7.99 357 64% 11k $86k (exactly $85,573) MOON SCAPE
甜點王子2 典藏版 older $9.99 179 88% 5.4k $54k (exactly $53,646) EnjoyPlay Corp.
Graces: Posthumous Wish $7.99 187 93% 5.6k $45k (exactly $44,824) TomoToro
UncleOffice:uncle Dating Simulator $15.99 92 61% 2.8k $44k (exactly $44,132) GameUncle
With Your Coworker $0.99 1,220 82% 37k $36k (exactly $36,234) 搖滾冰塊
Idle Land of Exile $4.99 239 68% 7.2k $36k (exactly $35,778) 所以然
Game Of Mafia older $9.99 109 72% 3.3k $33k (exactly $32,667) FastGame, VICTORIA Games
Succubus Contract I $14.99 61 90% 1.8k $27k (exactly $27,432) Stick4Luck
Idle Quest Simulator $4.99 183 78% 5.5k $27k (exactly $27,395) 所以然
Thunder Tank: Iron Shield $3.99 221 82% 6.6k $26k (exactly $26,454) Crazy Studio

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