Do I ship it?

Games2D Platformer2D Platformer + Steampunk

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Steampunk 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Steampunk

Only 16 developers shipped a Steampunk 2D Platformer in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Clockwork Ambrosia, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 37 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $4.0k, ×6.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $960; 1 in 20 cleared $79k, ×127 the market median. Revenue is up 95% on the market; 37 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 95% on the market, 37 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Steampunk
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $17k → $2.1k → $3.1k → $4.5k (still earning) → $5.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Steampunk: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $959 (exactly $959)
Median $4.0k (exactly $3,984)
Top 25% $7.5k (exactly $7,492)
Top 5% $80k (exactly $79,760)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 52
Announced 37
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 95% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

2D Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Steampunk
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
2D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, Action-Adventure
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Hand-drawn, Stylized
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 377 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $960, median $4.0k, 1 in 4 over $7.4k, 1 in 20 over $79k.

3 in 10 developers made under $960. 9 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 37 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 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
SteamWorld Dig 2 older $19.99 5,700 95% 171k $3.4M (exactly $3,418,290) Image & Form Games
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch older $15.99 6,660 86% 200k $3.2M (exactly $3,194,802) TiGames
We Need To Go Deeper older $15.99 4,652 86% 140k $2.2M (exactly $2,231,564) Deli Interactive LLC
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder older $19.99 1,850 79% 56k $1.1M (exactly $1,109,445) Metamorphosis Games
Forgotton Anne older $19.99 1,646 89% 49k $987k (exactly $987,106) Throughline Games
Teslagrad 2 older $19.99 419 76% 13k $251k (exactly $251,274) Rain Games
Leo’s Fortune - HD Edition older $6.99 430 92% 13k $90k (exactly $90,171) 1337 & Senri AB
Clockwork Ambrosia $19.99 133 84% 4.0k $80k (exactly $79,760) Realmsoft
Angel's Gear older $9.99 254 73% 7.6k $76k (exactly $76,124) Scumhead
Teslagrad Remastered older $9.99 210 81% 6.3k $63k (exactly $62,937) Rain Games
Sacre Bleu $14.99 46 82% 1.4k $21k (exactly $20,686) Hildring Studio Inc
StellaGale: The Trials Of Faith · EA $9.99 29 96% 870 $8.7k (exactly $8,691) Extra Life Entertainment, Vifth Floor
LURRUNA - The Island of Towering Automatons $9.99 25 100% 750 $7.5k (exactly $7,492) PD_CGT
Knuckle Jet $14.99 13 92% 390 $5.8k (exactly $5,846) Rain Games
Death Machine $9.99 15 46% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Philip Froelich
Dinopunk: the Cacops adventure $7.99 18 94% 540 $4.3k (exactly $4,315) The Dude Games
Hollow Jump $6.99 19 94% 570 $4.0k (exactly $3,984) MoonJourney
Steam Veins · EA $12.99 8 62% 240 $3.1k (exactly $3,118) Kimu Studios
Elysium $0.99 71 94% 2.1k $2.1k (exactly $2,109) YvelRevo

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