Games › Open World › Open World + 2D Platformer
Should I ship a 2D Platformer Open World game?
Open World + 2D Platformer
Of 89 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer Open World game 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.. 250 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $650, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90. 250 games are announced against 53 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper, while revenue is flat on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $90 (exactly $90) |
|---|---|
| Median | $648 (exactly $648) |
| Top 25% | $4.2k (exactly $4,194) |
| Top 5% | $79k (exactly $79,188) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 89 |
| Released games | 300 |
| Announced | 250 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $6.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Open World
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- 2D Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Open World, 2D Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Exploration
- Price point
- $6.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.
The top 10 games average 84% positive over 2,441 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $90. 9 in 10 of the 43 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 250 games are announced against 53 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + 4 Player LocalFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TrainsFair
- + FMVFair
- + GothicFair
- + MarsFair
- + TanksFair
- + FaithLong shot
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Noita | older | $19.99 | 81,149 95% | 2.4M | $49M (exactly $48,665,055) | Nolla Games |
| | Rain World | older | $24.99 | 46,871 94% | 1.4M | $35M (exactly $35,139,189) | Videocult |
| | 觅长生 | older | $14.99 | 27,072 93% | 812k | $12M (exactly $12,174,278) | Chalcedony Network |
| | Afterimage | older | $24.99 | 6,929 79% | 208k | $5.2M (exactly $5,194,671) | Aurogon Shanghai |
| | Thank Goodness You're Here! | older | $19.99 | 7,742 96% | 232k | $4.6M (exactly $4,642,877) | Coal Supper |
| | FlipWitch - Forbidden Sex Hex | older | $14.99 | 5,549 94% | 166k | $2.5M (exactly $2,495,385) | MomoGames, Critical Bliss |
| | Haiku, the Robot | older | $19.99 | 2,576 90% | 77k | $1.5M (exactly $1,544,827) | Mister Morris Games |
| | Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune | older | $24.99 | 1,914 82% | 57k | $1.4M (exactly $1,434,926) | IceSitruuna |
| | Islets | older | $19.99 | 1,831 95% | 55k | $1.1M (exactly $1,098,051) | Kyle Thompson |
| | VVVVVV | older | $4.99 | 6,657 96% | 200k | $997k (exactly $996,553) | Terry Cavanagh |
| | Sea Fantasy | $14.99 | 585 86% | 18k | $263k (exactly $263,074) | METASLA | |
| | Soul's Chronicle: Immortal Slayer | $14.99 | 441 77% | 13k | $198k (exactly $198,318) | 正向星光工作室 | |
| | Bat to the Heavens | $14.99 | 407 95% | 12k | $183k (exactly $183,028) | ceroro | |
| | Infinitevania | $14.99 | 247 91% | 7.4k | $111k (exactly $111,076) | JHT Games | |
| | Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists | $18.99 | 139 79% | 4.2k | $79k (exactly $79,188) | Danny Garay | |
| | 巴哈姆特1-REMAKE(BAHAMUT1-REMAKE) | $9.99 | 170 95% | 5.1k | $51k (exactly $50,949) | 王韋 | |
| | Immortal Farmer: System’s Mandate | · EA | $4.99 | 297 68% | 8.9k | $44k (exactly $44,461) | oyogame |
| | Aggelos 2 | $19.99 | 61 73% | 1.8k | $37k (exactly $36,582) | WONDERBOY BOBI | |
| | Yuma Nest | · EA | $19.99 | 57 89% | 1.7k | $34k (exactly $34,183) | Piokou |
| | The End of Gameplay | $19.99 | 37 97% | 1.1k | $22k (exactly $22,189) | droqen |
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.