Do I ship it?

Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Time Attack

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Attack 2D Platformer?

2D Platformer + Time Attack

Of 30 developers who shipped a Time Attack 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.. 41 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $210 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 18 developers shipped in the last year and 41 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 41 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
2D Platformer + Time Attack
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 30
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.8k → $535 → $359 → $2.2k → $3.1k → $14k (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 2D Platformer + Time Attack: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 30
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $210 (exactly $210)
Top 25% $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Top 5% $14k (exactly $14,395)
Developers, 2 yr 30
Released games 103
Announced 41
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 down 65% on the market, supply 50% 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
Time Attack
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, Time Attack; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, Precision Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Difficult, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 230 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $210, 1 in 4 over $1.7k, 1 in 20 over $14k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 41 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

2D Platformer with a different second tag, 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

Super Meat Boy 2010 · $14M Dustforce DX 2012 · $364k BZZZT 2023 · $342k Stilt Fella 2020 · $309k The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors 2023 · $258k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Super Meat Boy older $14.99 30,031 93% 901k $14M (exactly $13,504,941) Team Meat
Dustforce DX older $9.99 1,214 93% 36k $364k (exactly $363,836) Hitbox Team
BZZZT older $11.99 952 93% 29k $342k (exactly $342,434) KO.DLL
Stilt Fella older $12.99 794 92% 24k $309k (exactly $309,422) September Games
The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors older $19.99 430 92% 13k $258k (exactly $257,871) Winning Entertainment Group Inc.
Mutant Mudds Deluxe older $9.99 399 79% 12k $120k (exactly $119,580) Atooi
10 Second Ninja X older $9.99 306 84% 9.2k $92k (exactly $91,708) Four Circle Interactive
iZBOT older $11.99 226 80% 6.8k $81k (exactly $81,292) Ruxar
Never Give Up older $14.99 165 87% 5.0k $74k (exactly $74,200) Massive Monster, Tasselfoot
Ball Torture older $9.99 90 82% 2.7k $27k (exactly $26,973) SufferSoft
Abyss Runner $6.99 105 86% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,018) Asuwawagami
FZ: Formation Z $29.99 16 87% 480 $14k (exactly $14,395) Granzella Inc.
Gravity Storm: First Mission $9.99 27 100% 810 $8.1k (exactly $8,092) Jampley Games
Three Bulky Bears $9.99 13 100% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) Storytime Games
Don't Drown $4.99 23 100% 690 $3.4k (exactly $3,443) Snoutical
Monochrome Heights $14.99 7 100% 210 $3.1k (exactly $3,148) One Frog Games
ReDrop $4.99 15 100% 450 $2.2k (exactly $2,246) Fabio Salvador
Wake Up and Jump! $4.99 12 91% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) RG Games
Ducky Runnerz $5.99 6 100% 180 $1.1k (exactly $1,078) Occasional Gamer Studios
SquareMan-Boy $4.99 6 100% 180 $898 (exactly $898) Team Jape

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