Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Interactive Fiction

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Interactive Fiction 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Interactive Fiction

Of 187 developers who shipped an Interactive Fiction 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.. 315 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×2.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×425 the market median. Revenue is up 195% on the market; 315 games are announced against 125 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 195% on the market, 315 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Interactive Fiction
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 187
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.3k → $13k → $624 → $1.6k → $1.3k → $1.9k → $657 (still earning) → $2.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Interactive Fiction: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 187
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,008)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $10,782)
Top 5% $202k (exactly $202,106)
Developers, 2 yr 187
Released games 488
Announced 315
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 195% on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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
Interactive Fiction
effort 1 / 10 · high · prose plus a state machine

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer, Interactive Fiction; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Visual Novel, RPG, Adventure
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 11,679 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 95 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 315 games are announced against 125 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

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

魔女的夜宴 2023 · $10M 月に寄りそう乙女の作法 2022 · $4.2M Bishojo Mangekyo Kotowari to Meikyu no Shojo 2021 · $2.4M Hamidashi Creative 2022 · $2.1M 候鸟 2023 · $1.2M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
魔女的夜宴 older $34.99 9,664 98% 290k $10M (exactly $10,144,301) YUZUSOFT
月に寄りそう乙女の作法 older $39.99 3,462 97% 104k $4.2M (exactly $4,153,361) Navel
Bishojo Mangekyo Kotowari to Meikyu no Shojo older $29.99 2,718 95% 82k $2.4M (exactly $2,445,385) ωstar, Seikei Production
Hamidashi Creative older $29.99 2,360 94% 71k $2.1M (exactly $2,123,292) madosoft
候鸟 older $10.99 3,674 97% 110k $1.2M (exactly $1,211,318) KIDFansClub
Koi x Shin Ai Kanojo older $34.99 1,104 88% 33k $1.2M (exactly $1,158,869) Us:track
灾厄黑龙与谎言公主 $9.99 3,682 90% 110k $1.1M (exactly $1,103,495) 莓夜工作室
Otome Riron to Sono Shuuhen -École de Paris- older $39.99 879 96% 26k $1.1M (exactly $1,054,536) Navel
Aonatsu Line older $34.99 644 91% 19k $676k (exactly $676,007) GIGA, Entergram
KYOTO XANADU -the Blooming Phantom- $54.99 403 78% 12k $665k (exactly $664,829) Nihon Falcom
Taiwan Love Story⁵ $17.99 939 84% 28k $507k (exactly $506,778) 快樂怪物, 紳士吉娃, Maker製造機
V-LOVER! $10.99 1,439 89% 43k $474k (exactly $474,438) Hentopia
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
Hatsuyuki Sakura $29.99 447 92% 13k $402k (exactly $402,166) SAGA PLANETS
Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou 2 $39.99 287 96% 8.6k $344k (exactly $344,314) Navel
Blood Money: Lethal Eden $8.99 1,262 91% 38k $340k (exactly $340,361) 碧火互娱
错过的暑假可以放第二次吗？ $6.99 1,229 99% 37k $258k (exactly $257,721) 麻溜完结制作组
Breaker of fatalism $10.99 613 88% 18k $202k (exactly $202,106) showplay entertainment

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