Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Incremental

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Incremental 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Incremental

Of 119 developers who shipped an Incremental 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: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $270 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 65 developers shipped in the last year and 91 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 535% 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 + Incremental
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 119
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $479 → $148 → $505 → $150 → $179 → $299 (still earning) → $420 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Incremental: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 119
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $239 (exactly $239)
Top 25% $1.6k (exactly $1,612)
Top 5% $36k (exactly $36,234)
Developers, 2 yr 119
Released games 313
Announced 91
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $2.99

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 535% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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
Incremental
effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Incremental; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Idler, RPG, Simulation
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 19,614 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $240, 1 in 4 over $1.6k, 1 in 20 over $36k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 74 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 91 games are announced against 65 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
Adorables older $29.99 502 80% 15k $452k (exactly $451,649) White Rabbit
Paper Bride 3 Unresolved Love older $9.99 874 92% 26k $262k (exactly $261,938) HeartBeat Plus
Paper Bride 4 Bound Love older $9.99 547 77% 16k $164k (exactly $163,936) HeartBeat Plus
Tools Up! Ultimate Edition older $34.99 111 76% 3.3k $117k (exactly $116,517) The Knights of Unity
Whimsy Bake&Craft $7.99 357 64% 11k $86k (exactly $85,573) MOON SCAPE
NecroAttack! older $9.99 241 72% 7.2k $72k (exactly $72,228) VirusSea
IGNOBLE $6.99 331 82% 9.9k $69k (exactly $69,411) Retromagine
UncleOffice:uncle Dating Simulator $15.99 92 61% 2.8k $44k (exactly $44,132) GameUncle
Scourge of the village $7.99 172 70% 5.2k $41k (exactly $41,228) Triangel Game
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
Idle Quest Simulator $4.99 183 78% 5.5k $27k (exactly $27,395) 所以然
Erotic Clicker $5.99 141 71% 4.2k $25k (exactly $25,338) Ero Echo Studio
Bauhaus Bonk $7.99 73 100% 2.2k $17k (exactly $17,498) Spoonful Games

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