Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Psychological

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Psychological 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Psychological

Of 80 developers who shipped a Psychological 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.. 116 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $50k, ×107 the market median. Revenue is up 90% on the market; 116 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 90% on the market, 116 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Psychological
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 80
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $42k → $1.5k → $1.9k → $838 → $359 → $449 → $269 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Psychological: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 80
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $449 (exactly $449)
Top 25% $2.0k (exactly $1,970)
Top 5% $51k (exactly $50,980)
Developers, 2 yr 80
Released games 194
Announced 116
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 90% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Psychological
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
2D Platformer; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Visual Novel, Multiple Endings
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Emotional
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 5,498 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $450, 1 in 4 over $1.9k, 1 in 20 over $50k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 9 in 10 of the 42 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 116 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 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

INMOST 2020 · $2.7M The Dark Queen of Mortholme 2025 · $610k The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition 2023 · $589k Everlasting Flowers - Where there is a will, there is a way 2024 · $255k MOMO Crash 2025 · $255k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
INMOST older $14.99 5,928 90% 178k $2.7M (exactly $2,665,822) Hidden Layer Games
The Dark Queen of Mortholme $4.99 4,075 83% 122k $610k (exactly $610,028) Mosu
The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition older $24.99 786 71% 24k $589k (exactly $589,264) Plot Twist
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
MOMO Crash $12.00 707 89% 21k $255k (exactly $254,520) SKOOTA GAMES
Koral older $14.99 366 81% 11k $165k (exactly $164,590) Carlos Coronado
Ignited in Cavern older $1.99 1,326 93% 40k $79k (exactly $79,162) 伤官制作组 Team Uranian
With My Past older $8.99 277 93% 8.3k $75k (exactly $74,707) Imagine Wings Studio
Yokai Landlord: Monster Mystery! $17.99 120 81% 3.6k $65k (exactly $64,764) Shadow Glove
Zapling Bygone older $15.99 110 82% 3.3k $53k (exactly $52,767) 9FingerGames
The Perfect Pencil $24.99 68 70% 2.0k $51k (exactly $50,980) Studio Cima
Graces: Posthumous Wish $7.99 187 93% 5.6k $45k (exactly $44,824) TomoToro
Paper Kite: Threads of Longing $9.99 138 94% 4.1k $41k (exactly $41,359) 依露琳（武汉）品牌管理有限公司, 黎羽游戏
Heroic Songs: the Remix! $16.99 56 92% 1.7k $29k (exactly $28,543) Emma Create
Blueberry $12.49 34 100% 1.0k $13k (exactly $12,740) MELLOW Games
Curse or Love $4.49 84 90% 2.5k $11k (exactly $11,315) 小橘子糖_official
Sophie: Starlight Whispers $12.99 29 89% 870 $11k (exactly $11,301) Youth Gaming

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