Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Romance

Of 157 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 188 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.9k, ×6.0 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $340k, ×725 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 188 games are announced against 91 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 25% on the market, 188 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 157
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.8k → $7.6k → $5.1k → $8.1k → $2.4k → $2.5k → $3.2k (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 157
Bottom 30% $599 (exactly $599)
Median $2.9k (exactly $2,870)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $20,760)
Top 5% $344k (exactly $344,314)
Developers, 2 yr 157
Released games 438
Announced 188
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 25% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Romance
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Visual Novel, RPG, Dating Sim
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 24,509 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $600, median $2.9k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $340k.

3 in 10 developers made under $600. 8 in 10 of the 88 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 188 games are announced against 91 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS $49.99 12,178 96% 365k $18M (exactly $18,263,347) Sonic Team
魔女的夜宴 older $34.99 9,664 98% 290k $10M (exactly $10,144,301) YUZUSOFT
灾厄黑龙与谎言公主 $9.99 3,682 90% 110k $1.1M (exactly $1,103,495) 莓夜工作室
Cyanotype Daydream -The Girl Who Dreamed the World- older $39.99 710 88% 21k $852k (exactly $851,787) Laplacian
The Dark Queen of Mortholme $4.99 4,075 83% 122k $610k (exactly $610,028) Mosu
Degrees of Separation older $19.99 1,011 80% 30k $606k (exactly $606,297) Moondrop
Clover Day's Plus older $34.99 572 94% 17k $600k (exactly $600,428) ALcot
Sword and Fairy older $4.99 3,947 97% 118k $591k (exactly $590,866) SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT
AIR $29.99 639 98% 19k $575k (exactly $574,908) VISUAL ARTS/Key
Yoshiwara Higanbana older $44.99 425 90% 13k $574k (exactly $573,622) MariaCrown
Taiwan Love Story⁵ $17.99 939 84% 28k $507k (exactly $506,778) 快樂怪物, 紳士吉娃, Maker製造機
V-LOVER! $10.99 1,439 89% 43k $474k (exactly $474,438) Hentopia
Hatsuyuki Sakura $29.99 447 92% 13k $402k (exactly $402,166) SAGA PLANETS
Tsuki ni Yorisou Otome no Sahou 2 $39.99 287 96% 8.6k $344k (exactly $344,314) Navel
Select Oblige $29.99 375 76% 11k $337k (exactly $337,388) Madosoft
Stellar Code $24.98 448 97% 13k $336k (exactly $335,731) Fragaria

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