Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Magic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Magic 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Magic

Of 263 developers who shipped a Magic 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.. 428 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×236 the market median. Revenue is up 25% on the market; 428 games are announced against 148 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 25% on the market, 428 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Magic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 263
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $599 → $450 → $987 → $1.2k → $1.6k → $1.1k → $719 (still earning) → $629 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Magic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 263
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $899 (exactly $899)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,823)
Top 5% $112k (exactly $112,125)
Developers, 2 yr 263
Released games 778
Announced 428
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 25% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Magic
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, RPG, Action
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 7,455 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 $900, 1 in 4 over $4.8k, 1 in 20 over $110k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 150 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 428 games are announced against 148 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Platformer with a different setting or mood, 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
Trine 2: Complete Story older $19.99 15,273 95% 458k $9.2M (exactly $9,159,218) Frozenbyte
Trine Enchanted Edition older $14.99 12,843 95% 385k $5.8M (exactly $5,775,497) Frozenbyte
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight older $9.99 10,502 93% 315k $3.1M (exactly $3,147,449) Bombservice
FlipWitch - Forbidden Sex Hex older $14.99 5,549 94% 166k $2.5M (exactly $2,495,385) MomoGames, Critical Bliss
Castlevania Dominus Collection older $24.99 2,362 94% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,791) KONAMI
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell older $16.99 3,057 91% 92k $1.6M (exactly $1,558,153) Bombservice
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection older $29.99 1,306 74% 39k $1.2M (exactly $1,175,008) CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED $29.99 949 96% 28k $854k (exactly $853,815) TYPE-MOON, fuzz Inc.
Source of Madness older $19.99 1,410 69% 42k $846k (exactly $845,577) Carry Castle
Journey of Realm:Dawn Dew $10.99 2,233 97% 67k $736k (exactly $736,220) 葱色兔兔/Scallion Rabbit
Ambidextro $7.99 1,334 98% 40k $320k (exactly $319,760) Majorariatto
緋月仙行錄 $19.99 454 57% 14k $272k (exactly $272,264) 月光草
Shattered Divinities $9.99 906 94% 27k $272k (exactly $271,528) 星魂游戏
HYKE:Northern Light(s) $27.99 242 73% 7.3k $203k (exactly $203,207) Akatsuki Games Inc., Blast Edge Games I… (Akatsuki Games Inc., Blast Edge Games Inc.)
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution $24.99 267 85% 8.0k $200k (exactly $200,170) WayForward, Limited Run Games
Soul's Chronicle: Immortal Slayer $14.99 441 77% 13k $198k (exactly $198,318) 正向星光工作室
Symphonia $19.99 325 88% 9.8k $195k (exactly $194,902) Sunny Peak
Volkolak: The Will of Gods $15.99 304 87% 9.1k $146k (exactly $145,829) Volk Team

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