Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Time Travel
Should I ship a Time-Travel 2D Platformer?
2D Platformer + Time Travel
Only 19 developers shipped a Time-Travel 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, Chrono Gear: Warden of Time, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 46 more are announced, ×5.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $750, ×1.6 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $89; 1 in 20 cleared $510k, ×1079 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 46 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $89 (exactly $89) |
|---|---|
| Median | $750 (exactly $750) |
| Top 25% | $3.4k (exactly $3,352) |
| Top 5% | $513k (exactly $512,715) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 19 |
| Released games | 78 |
| Announced | 46 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 85% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Time Travel
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- 2D Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Platformer
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Side Scroller
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 1,393 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $89. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 46 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
2D Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + JRPGFair
- + VampiresFair
- + MechsFair
- + PinballFair
- + WesternFair
- + CRPGFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + Arena ShooterFair
- + MiningFair
- + RoguelikeFair
- + Party-Based RPGFair
- + Tactical RPGFair
Comparable games
Sonic Generations Collection 2011 · $32M 
The Messenger 2018 · $6.4M 
Braid 2009 · $3.1M 
Timespinner 2018 · $1.7M 
Braid, Anniversary Edition 2024 · $1.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sonic Generations Collection | older | $51.79 | 20,304 93% | 609k | $32M (exactly $31,546,325) | Devil's Details |
| | The Messenger | older | $19.99 | 10,711 92% | 321k | $6.4M (exactly $6,423,387) | Sabotage |
| | Braid | older | $14.99 | 6,941 93% | 208k | $3.1M (exactly $3,121,368) | Number None |
| | Timespinner | older | $19.99 | 2,823 86% | 85k | $1.7M (exactly $1,692,953) | Lunar Ray Games |
| | Braid, Anniversary Edition | older | $19.99 | 1,761 92% | 53k | $1.1M (exactly $1,056,072) | Thekla, Inc. |
 | Chrono Gear: Warden of Time | $17.99 | 950 98% | 29k | $513k (exactly $512,715) | Team Chrono Gear, GalaxyTrail | |
 | What Lies in the Multiverse | older | $14.99 | 519 91% | 16k | $233k (exactly $233,394) | Studio Voyager, IguanaBee |
 | Shanghai Summer | older | $12.99 | 393 89% | 12k | $153k (exactly $153,152) | FUTU Studio |
 | Once Again | older | $3.99 | 941 90% | 28k | $113k (exactly $112,638) | RB Wolf Design |
 | PROJECT TACHYON | $17.99 | 117 83% | 3.5k | $63k (exactly $63,145) | STUDIO N9 | |
 | 透明的她与真实的我 | $10.99 | 108 87% | 3.2k | $36k (exactly $35,608) | 可味玩KawayiPlay | |
 | 钟塔 | $3.99 | 51 88% | 1.5k | $6.1k (exactly $6,105) | 可味玩KawayiPlay | |
 | Bleeding Deities | $9.99 | 20 75% | 600 | $6.0k (exactly $5,994) | Duty Over | |
 | Kokoro Clover SUN - Prehistoric Invaders! | $3.99 | 28 100% | 840 | $3.4k (exactly $3,352) | ひこてる | |
 | Unfair Rampage: Knightfall | $5.99 | 14 85% | 420 | $2.5k (exactly $2,516) | Imphenzia | |
 | Elysium | $0.99 | 71 94% | 2.1k | $2.1k (exactly $2,109) | YvelRevo | |
 | End's Beginning | · EA | $8.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.3k (exactly $1,348) | 三更梦工作室 |
 | 挂机修仙之我能合成功法！ | $0.99 | 29 44% | 870 | $861 (exactly $861) | 99 Game Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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