Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Modern
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.
| 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.
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
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
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.
What kills games here
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 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.
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.