Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Post-apocalyptic
Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic 2D Platformer?
2D Platformer + Post-apocalyptic
Of 100 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 230 more are announced, ×3.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×1.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×319 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 230 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $298 (exactly $298) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.1k (exactly $1,078) |
| Top 25% | $5.8k (exactly $5,755) |
| Top 5% | $200k (exactly $200,170) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 100 |
| Released games | 284 |
| Announced | 230 |
| Effort | 5 / 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 15% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, 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
- Post-apocalyptic
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- 2D Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, Adventure
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 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 $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 4,666 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 51 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 230 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 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
Rain World 2017 · $35M 
BlazBlue Entropy Effect 2024 · $18M 
HAAK 2022 · $1.7M 
The End Is Nigh 2017 · $1.5M 
Rusted Moss 2023 · $945k | 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 |
| | BlazBlue Entropy Effect | older | $19.99 | 30,410 94% | 912k | $18M (exactly $18,236,877) | 91Act |
| | HAAK | older | $17.99 | 3,149 89% | 94k | $1.7M (exactly $1,699,515) | Blingame |
| | The End Is Nigh | older | $14.99 | 3,291 93% | 99k | $1.5M (exactly $1,479,963) | Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel |
| | Rusted Moss | older | $19.99 | 1,575 88% | 47k | $945k (exactly $944,527) | Emlise, happysquared, sunnydaze |
 | Cyber Shadow | older | $19.99 | 1,294 83% | 39k | $776k (exactly $776,012) | Aarne "MekaSkull" Hunziker |
 | Kemono Teatime | $12.99 | 1,617 95% | 49k | $630k (exactly $630,145) | Studio Lalala, Kotoneiro, WHO YOU | |
 | Astalon: Tears of the Earth | older | $19.99 | 995 92% | 30k | $597k (exactly $596,702) | LABS Works |
 | The Devil Within: Satgat | $24.99 | 795 78% | 24k | $596k (exactly $596,012) | Newcore Games | |
 | Ghost Song | older | $19.99 | 989 84% | 30k | $593k (exactly $593,103) | Old Moon |
 | Iron Meat | $19.99 | 982 96% | 29k | $589k (exactly $588,905) | Ivan Valeryevich Suvorov, Retroware | |
 | HYKE:Northern Light(s) | $27.99 | 242 73% | 7.3k | $203k (exactly $203,207) | Akatsuki Games Inc., Blast Edge Games I… (Akatsuki Games Inc., Blast Edge Games Inc.) | |
 | Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution | $24.99 | 267 85% | 8.0k | $200k (exactly $200,170) | WayForward, Limited Run Games | |
 | INAYAH - Life after Gods | $15.99 | 230 71% | 6.9k | $110k (exactly $110,331) | Exogenesis Studios | |
 | BioMenace Remastered | $14.99 | 186 99% | 5.6k | $84k (exactly $83,644) | Rigel Gameworks | |
 | PlatyGuard: Swarm Slayer | $14.99 | 117 74% | 3.5k | $53k (exactly $52,615) | ChillyRoom | |
 | Heavy Hearts | $14.99 | 98 70% | 2.9k | $44k (exactly $44,071) | Dammitbird | |
 | Zombiehood | $9.99 | 132 86% | 4.0k | $40k (exactly $39,560) | Weak Spots, Dead Traveler |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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