Games › Metroidvania › Metroidvania + 2D Platformer
Should I ship a 2D Platformer Metroidvania?
Metroidvania + 2D Platformer
Of 294 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer Metroidvania 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.. 748 more are announced, ×4.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.4k, ×7.1 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $420k, ×899 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 748 games are announced against 153 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $898 (exactly $898) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.4k (exactly $3,355) |
| Top 25% | $28k (exactly $27,891) |
| Top 5% | $427k (exactly $427,215) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 294 |
| Released games | 895 |
| Announced | 748 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 15% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Metroidvania
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- 2D Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Metroidvania, 2D Platformer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, Exploration
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Side Scroller
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 90% positive over 25,444 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 8 in 10 of the 163 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 748 games are announced against 153 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Metroidvania with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + ParkourPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
- + SimulationPoor odds
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + CollectathonPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Survival HorrorPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
- + VampiresPoor odds
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
Comparable games
Rain World 2017 · $35M 
Blasphemous 2 2023 · $15M 
Rogue Legacy 2 2022 · $11M 
Have a Nice Death 2023 · $7.3M 
The Messenger 2018 · $6.4M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rain World | older | $24.99 | 46,871 94% | 1.4M | $35M (exactly $35,139,189) | Videocult |
| | Blasphemous 2 | older | $29.99 | 16,808 91% | 504k | $15M (exactly $15,122,158) | The Game Kitchen |
| | Rogue Legacy 2 | older | $24.99 | 14,238 90% | 427k | $11M (exactly $10,674,229) | Cellar Door Games |
| | Have a Nice Death | older | $24.99 | 9,729 85% | 292k | $7.3M (exactly $7,293,831) | Magic Design Studios |
| | The Messenger | older | $19.99 | 10,711 92% | 321k | $6.4M (exactly $6,423,387) | Sabotage |
 | Prince of Persia The Lost Crown | older | $29.99 | 6,754 84% | 203k | $6.1M (exactly $6,076,574) | Ubisoft Montpellier |
 | Afterimage | older | $24.99 | 6,929 79% | 208k | $5.2M (exactly $5,194,671) | Aurogon Shanghai |
 | Mark of the Ninja: Remastered | older | $19.99 | 6,584 95% | 198k | $3.9M (exactly $3,948,425) | Klei Entertainment |
 | Mega Man 11 | older | $29.99 | 4,312 89% | 129k | $3.9M (exactly $3,879,506) | CAPCOM CO., LTD. |
 | Laika: Aged Through Blood | older | $19.99 | 5,938 91% | 178k | $3.6M (exactly $3,561,019) | Brainwash Gang |
 | SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance | $29.99 | 3,564 83% | 107k | $3.2M (exactly $3,206,531) | SEGA, Lizardcube | |
 | MIO: Memories in Orbit | $19.99 | 4,300 83% | 129k | $2.6M (exactly $2,578,710) | Douze Dixièmes | |
 | Öoo | $9.99 | 6,575 99% | 197k | $2.0M (exactly $1,970,528) | NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuy… (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi) | |
 | NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound | $24.99 | 2,500 92% | 75k | $1.9M (exactly $1,874,250) | The Game Kitchen | |
 | Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo | $19.99 | 1,993 97% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,195,202) | Pocket Trap | |
 | Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew | $10.99 | 2,233 97% | 67k | $736k (exactly $736,220) | 葱色兔兔/Scallion Rabbit | |
 | AWAKEN - Astral Blade | $19.99 | 1,121 82% | 34k | $672k (exactly $672,264) | Dark Pigeon Games | |
 | KYOTO XANADU -the Blooming Phantom- | $54.99 | 403 78% | 12k | $665k (exactly $664,829) | Nihon Falcom | |
 | Goblin Vyke: The Thief Tycoon | $14.99 | 1,397 70% | 42k | $628k (exactly $628,231) | Art Thieves | |
 | BLADECHIMERA | $14.99 | 1,358 88% | 41k | $611k (exactly $610,693) | Team Ladybug, WSS playground |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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