Games › 3D Platformer › 3D Platformer + Underwater
Should I ship an Underwater 3D Platformer?
3D Platformer + Underwater
Of 20 developers who shipped an Underwater 3D 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.. 44 more are announced, ×5.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.7k, ×5.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $7.0M, ×11267 the market median. Revenue is up 1385% on the market; 44 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $719 (exactly $719) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.7k (exactly $3,711) |
| Top 25% | $21k (exactly $20,551) |
| Top 5% | $7.1M (exactly $7,075,831) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 20 |
| Released games | 48 |
| Announced | 44 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 1385% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 6%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- 3D Platformer
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Underwater
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- 3D Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Action, Action RPG
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Anime, Relaxing
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 8,725 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 9 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 44 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
3D Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + TransportationFair
- + MiningFair
- + Dating SimFair
- + GolfFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + SokobanFair
- + Survival HorrorFair
- + Perma DeathFair
- + AutomationFair
- + OffroadLong shot
- + Looter ShooterLong shot
- + CatsLong shot
Comparable games
Another Crab's Treasure 2024 · $15M 
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated 2020 · $13M 
Starsand Island 2026 · $7.1M 
Tomb Raider: Underworld 2008 · $1.7M 
IfSunSets 2024 · EA · $1.4M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Another Crab's Treasure | older | $29.99 | 16,863 93% | 506k | $15M (exactly $15,171,641) | Aggro Crab |
| | SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated | older | $29.99 | 14,439 94% | 433k | $13M (exactly $12,990,768) | Purple Lamp |
| | Starsand Island | $39.99 | 5,898 76% | 177k | $7.1M (exactly $7,075,831) | Seed Sparkle Lab | |
| | Tomb Raider: Underworld | older | $8.99 | 6,173 76% | 185k | $1.7M (exactly $1,664,858) | Crystal Dynamics |
| | IfSunSets | · EA | $19.99 | 2,284 74% | 69k | $1.4M (exactly $1,369,715) | POLYMORPH |
 | NAMAKORIUM (ナマコリウム) | $11.99 | 148 93% | 4.4k | $53k (exactly $53,236) | Polyscape Inc. | |
 | Deep Blue: Devour and Evolve | $8.99 | 100 83% | 3.0k | $27k (exactly $26,970) | ZHOUZEMING | |
 | OYASUMII | $6.99 | 98 83% | 2.9k | $21k (exactly $20,551) | NEO PROJECT Studios | |
 | Paleo Dive | $19.99 | 33 84% | 990 | $20k (exactly $19,790) | Astra Render | |
 | The Shore VR | older | $11.99 | 50 34% | 1.5k | $18k (exactly $17,985) | Ares Dragonis |
 | Power Sink | $14.99 | 26 96% | 780 | $12k (exactly $11,692) | Winterwire Games | |
 | Bottle Can Float | $3.99 | 91 89% | 2.7k | $11k (exactly $10,893) | Kayla.Z | |
 | Soul Drifter | $14.99 | 16 93% | 480 | $7.2k (exactly $7,195) | VISIONKEEPER Studio | |
 | Aquarium at August 32nd | $3.99 | 31 83% | 930 | $3.7k (exactly $3,711) | Vice Inc. |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.