Games › 2D Platformer › 2D Platformer + Underground
Should I ship an Underground 2D Platformer?
2D Platformer + Underground
Of 52 developers who shipped an Underground 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.. 87 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $41k, ×86 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 87 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,166) |
| Top 25% | $4.8k (exactly $4,823) |
| Top 5% | $41k (exactly $41,083) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 52 |
| Released games | 187 |
| Announced | 87 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 25% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 12%, 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
- Underground
- 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
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 75% positive over 1,423 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 34 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 87 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 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
HAAK 2022 · $1.7M 
Shadow Labyrinth 2025 · $249k 
Ants Took My Eyeball 2024 · $97k 
The Siege and the Sandfox 2025 · $81k 
PERFECT CELLS PROJECT 2024 · $68k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | HAAK | older | $17.99 | 3,149 89% | 94k | $1.7M (exactly $1,699,515) | Blingame |
| | Shadow Labyrinth | $29.99 | 277 54% | 8.3k | $249k (exactly $249,217) | Bandai Namco Studios Inc. | |
| | Ants Took My Eyeball | older | $12.99 | 248 93% | 7.4k | $97k (exactly $96,646) | Bosmic Forge |
| | The Siege and the Sandfox | $14.99 | 180 64% | 5.4k | $81k (exactly $80,946) | Cardboard Sword | |
| | PERFECT CELLS PROJECT | older | $9.99 | 226 79% | 6.8k | $68k (exactly $67,732) | ShinshiMoustache |
 | Miner: Dig Deep | older | $6.99 | 242 91% | 7.3k | $51k (exactly $50,747) | Substance Games |
 | RITE | older | $4.99 | 326 84% | 9.8k | $49k (exactly $48,802) | Pond Games PTY LTD |
 | DUNGEON RAZE | $2.99 | 458 85% | 14k | $41k (exactly $41,083) | KOTARO YOSHIDA | |
 | Cavern Adventurers | $8.99 | 117 48% | 3.5k | $32k (exactly $31,555) | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd | |
 | Soulbind: Tales Of The Underworld | $7.99 | 88 73% | 2.6k | $21k (exactly $21,094) | Rubedo Games | |
 | Antro | $14.99 | 42 92% | 1.3k | $19k (exactly $18,887) | Gatera Studio | |
 | Dark Bone Prison | $5.99 | 84 95% | 2.5k | $15k (exactly $15,095) | Bunny Moon Shady | |
 | OREBLAZE | $4.99 | 64 92% | 1.9k | $9.6k (exactly $9,581) | Ludiminal Games | |
 | Bugscraper | $9.99 | 28 96% | 840 | $8.4k (exactly $8,392) | Yolwoocle, OLX, Verbaudet, Ninesliced | |
 | 白猫骑士物语/ White Cat Knight | $1.99 | 85 100% | 2.6k | $5.1k (exactly $5,074) | Dumpling Game Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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