Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Magic
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.
| 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.
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
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
Adjacent niches
2D Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + JRPGFair
- + VampiresFair
- + MechsFair
- + PinballFair
- + WesternFair
- + CRPGFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + Arena ShooterFair
- + MiningFair
- + RoguelikeFair
- + Party-Based RPGFair
- + Tactical RPGFair
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.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.