Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Modern

Of 64 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 134 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×425 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 134 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 134 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 64
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.7k → $598 → $2.4k → $824 → $1.3k → $3.6k → $420 (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 64
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $5.5k (exactly $5,513)
Top 5% $202k (exactly $202,106)
Developers, 2 yr 64
Released games 171
Announced 134
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 down 65% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Modern
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 RPG, Adventure, Visual Novel
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 5,608 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $600, 1 in 4 over $5.5k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 8 in 10 of the 38 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 134 games are announced against 33 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 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
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo $19.99 1,993 97% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,195,202) Pocket Trap
KYOTO XANADU -the Blooming Phantom- $54.99 403 78% 12k $665k (exactly $664,829) Nihon Falcom
Blood Money: Lethal Eden $8.99 1,262 91% 38k $340k (exactly $340,361) 碧火互娱
大千世界 older $3.99 2,289 86% 69k $274k (exactly $273,993) 滑稽工作室
Everlasting Flowers - Where there is a will, there is a way older $29.99 283 86% 8.5k $255k (exactly $254,615) sprite, flowers.studio
Breaker of fatalism $10.99 613 88% 18k $202k (exactly $202,106) showplay entertainment
BIT.TRIP BEAT older $9.99 662 82% 20k $198k (exactly $198,401) Gaijin Games
Cafe Master Story older $12.99 378 96% 11k $147k (exactly $147,307) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Burger Bistro Story older $8.99 319 81% 9.6k $86k (exactly $86,034) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Mega Mall Story older $8.99 302 94% 9.1k $81k (exactly $81,449) Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery! $17.99 120 81% 3.6k $65k (exactly $64,764) Shadow Glove
OneRoom ―Yui Hanasaka Memorial― $3.99 396 91% 12k $47k (exactly $47,401) 株式会社さかさうま工房
Femboy Love story $1.99 530 77% 16k $32k (exactly $31,641) 磷光工作室
Eros Memories: The Lewd Way to Save the World $14.99 50 46% 1.5k $22k (exactly $22,485) S3xyGames
Skyline Urban Story $6.99 106 90% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,228) PandaUpStudio
大鹏 - The Roc $4.99 135 91% 4.1k $20k (exactly $20,210) 折扶桑制作组

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