Do I ship it?

GamesSouls-likeSouls-like + 2D Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 2D Platformer Souls-like?

Souls-like + 2D Platformer

Of 111 developers who shipped a 2D Platformer Souls-like 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.. 214 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.6k, ×1.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $590k, ×398 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 214 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 214 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Souls-like + 2D Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 111
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $16k → $1.0k → $1.3k → $8.6k → $1.9k → $1.1k → $4.5k (still earning) → $3.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Souls-like + 2D Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 111
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $2.6k (exactly $2,637)
Top 25% $32k (exactly $31,665)
Top 5% $596k (exactly $596,012)
Developers, 2 yr 111
Released games 331
Announced 214
Effort 7 / 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 up 35% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Souls-like
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Souls-like, 2D Platformer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Platformer
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Difficult
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 23,857 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $2.6k, 1 in 4 over $31k, 1 in 20 over $590k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 59 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 214 games are announced against 61 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds17 devs · median $34k · 8 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair13 devs · median $22k · 17 announced
  4. + JRPGFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  6. + PsychologicalFair17 devs · median $1.8k · 17 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerLong shot49 devs · median $776 · 46 announced
  9. + Score AttackLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  10. + WarPoor odds8 devs · median $451k · 22 announced
  11. + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds12 devs · median $88k · 21 announced
  12. + RomancePoor odds10 devs · median $35k · 16 announced

All 122 pairs on the Souls-like page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

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
Blasphemous 2 older $29.99 16,808 91% 504k $15M (exactly $15,122,158) The Game Kitchen
Afterimage older $24.99 6,929 79% 208k $5.2M (exactly $5,194,671) Aurogon Shanghai
Mina the Hollower $19.99 7,562 88% 227k $4.5M (exactly $4,534,931) Yacht Club Games
Anomaly Agent older $11.99 9,463 94% 284k $3.4M (exactly $3,403,841) Phew Phew Games
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight older $9.99 10,502 93% 315k $3.1M (exactly $3,147,449) Bombservice
To Be or Not to Be older $12.99 8,035 89% 241k $3.1M (exactly $3,131,240) Team K
MIO: Memories in Orbit $19.99 4,300 83% 129k $2.6M (exactly $2,578,710) Douze Dixièmes
FlipWitch - Forbidden Sex Hex older $14.99 5,549 94% 166k $2.5M (exactly $2,495,385) MomoGames, Critical Bliss
Momodora: Moonlit Farewell older $16.99 3,057 91% 92k $1.6M (exactly $1,558,153) Bombservice
Journey of Realm:Dawn Dew $10.99 2,233 97% 67k $736k (exactly $736,220) 葱色兔兔/Scallion Rabbit
AWAKEN - Astral Blade $19.99 1,121 82% 34k $672k (exactly $672,264) Dark Pigeon Games
The Dark Queen of Mortholme $4.99 4,075 83% 122k $610k (exactly $610,028) Mosu
The Devil Within: Satgat $24.99 795 78% 24k $596k (exactly $596,012) Newcore Games
JUMP KING QUEST $14.99 1,202 88% 36k $541k (exactly $540,539) Nexile
Solateria $19.99 710 83% 21k $426k (exactly $425,787) Studio Doodal
Dragon Is Dead $19.99 661 75% 20k $396k (exactly $396,402) TeamSuneat
NEKOPARA After $9.99 1,198 90% 36k $359k (exactly $359,041) NEKO WORKs

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