Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Mystery
Should I ship a Mystery 2D Platformer?
2D Platformer + Mystery
Of 226 developers who shipped a Mystery 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.. 389 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $750, ×1.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $320k, ×680 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 389 games are announced against 125 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $180 (exactly $180) |
|---|---|
| Median | $748 (exactly $748) |
| Top 25% | $6.0k (exactly $5,998) |
| Top 5% | $323k (exactly $323,106) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 226 |
| Released games | 641 |
| Announced | 389 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 down 10% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- 2D Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Mystery
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- 2D Platformer; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.50 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.50 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 93% positive over 24,065 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 123 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 389 games are announced against 125 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 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
Night in the Woods 2017 · $11M 
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo 2023 · $3.7M 
Hidden Deep 2022 · EA · $3.2M 
Creaks 2020 · $3.2M 
The Pedestrian 2020 · $3.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Night in the Woods | older | $19.99 | 17,760 94% | 533k | $11M (exactly $10,650,672) | Infinite Fall |
| | PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo | older | $19.99 | 6,123 95% | 184k | $3.7M (exactly $3,671,963) | Square Enix |
| | Hidden Deep | · EA older | $24.99 | 4,293 76% | 129k | $3.2M (exactly $3,218,462) | Cogwheel Software |
| | Creaks | older | $19.99 | 5,323 95% | 160k | $3.2M (exactly $3,192,203) | Amanita Design |
| | The Pedestrian | older | $19.99 | 5,173 96% | 155k | $3.1M (exactly $3,102,248) | Skookum Arts |
 | INMOST | older | $14.99 | 5,928 90% | 178k | $2.7M (exactly $2,665,822) | Hidden Layer Games |
 | MIO: Memories in Orbit | $19.99 | 4,300 83% | 129k | $2.6M (exactly $2,578,710) | Douze Dixièmes | |
 | Bishojo Mangekyo Kotowari to Meikyu no Shojo | older | $29.99 | 2,718 95% | 82k | $2.4M (exactly $2,445,385) | ωstar, Seikei Production |
 | Threefold Recital | $14.99 | 5,117 98% | 154k | $2.3M (exactly $2,301,115) | Everscape Games | |
 | Owlboy | older | $19.99 | 3,679 85% | 110k | $2.2M (exactly $2,206,296) | D-Pad Studio |
 | Öoo | $9.99 | 6,575 99% | 197k | $2.0M (exactly $1,970,528) | NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuy… (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi) | |
 | Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary | $24.99 | 987 95% | 30k | $740k (exactly $739,954) | Laplacian | |
 | CYAN BRAIN | $14.99 | 1,463 89% | 44k | $658k (exactly $657,911) | NEKOUJI | |
 | BLADECHIMERA | $14.99 | 1,358 88% | 41k | $611k (exactly $610,693) | Team Ladybug, WSS playground | |
 | Planet of Lana II | $19.99 | 875 91% | 26k | $525k (exactly $524,738) | Wishfully | |
 | Bionic Bay | $19.99 | 750 84% | 23k | $450k (exactly $449,775) | Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy | |
 | FLAM EVAW | $9.99 | 1,378 95% | 41k | $413k (exactly $412,987) | 北京万合瑞晟文化传媒有限公司 | |
 | Blood Money: Lethal Eden | $8.99 | 1,262 91% | 38k | $340k (exactly $340,361) | 碧火互娱 |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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