Do I ship it?

Games4 Player Local4 Player Local + Puzzle Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a 4 Player Local Puzzle Platformer?

4 Player Local + Puzzle Platformer

Only 17 developers shipped a 4 Player Local Puzzle 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, Biped 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 29 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $630, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $360k, ×770 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 29 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 29 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
4 Player Local + Puzzle Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.8k → $4.7k → $628 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for 4 Player Local + Puzzle Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $628 (exactly $628)
Top 25% $3.6k (exactly $3,591)
Top 5% $366k (exactly $365,606)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 56
Announced 29
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 85% on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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.

4 Player Local
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
4 Player Local, Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry 3D Platformer, Co-op, Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Funny, Family Friendly
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 75% positive over 993 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 $630, 1 in 4 over $3.5k, 1 in 20 over $360k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

4 Player Local with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Open WorldFair14 devs · median $82k · 20 announced
  2. + Multiple EndingsFair10 devs · median $3.6k · 10 announced
  3. + SimulationFair69 devs · median $2.1k · 86 announced
  4. + Immersive SimFair11 devs · median $2.1k · 15 announced
  5. + CatsFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 16 announced
  6. + RhythmFair10 devs · median $539 · 10 announced
  7. + ManagementPoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 37 announced
  8. + Football (Soccer)Poor odds14 devs · median $15k · 27 announced
  9. + Beat 'em upPoor odds30 devs · median $8.7k · 67 announced
  10. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds15 devs · median $8.5k · 19 announced
  11. + TriviaPoor odds9 devs · median $7.2k · 9 announced
  12. + MinigamesPoor odds12 devs · median $7.2k · 28 announced

All 109 pairs on the 4 Player Local page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince older $29.99 11,712 88% 351k $11M (exactly $10,537,286) Frozenbyte
Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition older $16.99 3,096 88% 93k $1.6M (exactly $1,578,031) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
N++ (NPLUSPLUS) older $14.99 2,825 95% 85k $1.3M (exactly $1,270,402) Metanet Software Inc.
PICO PARK 2 older $8.99 4,045 88% 121k $1.1M (exactly $1,090,936) TECOPARK, Gemdrops, Inc.
BADLAND: Game of the Year Edition older $9.99 2,801 86% 84k $839k (exactly $839,460) Frogmind
Unruly Heroes older $19.99 763 74% 23k $458k (exactly $457,571) Magic Design Studios
Bloody Trapland older $4.99 2,777 83% 83k $416k (exactly $415,717) 2Play
Biped 2 $14.99 813 71% 24k $366k (exactly $365,606) META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy… (META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy Studios)
Bloody Trapland 2: Curiosity older $9.99 824 83% 25k $247k (exactly $246,953) 2Play, Prasius
Jack Axe older $14.99 75 65% 2.3k $34k (exactly $33,728) Keybol Games
Running Fable Petite Party $13.99 51 100% 1.5k $21k (exactly $21,405) Seashell Studio
CTHULOOT $14.99 32 81% 960 $14k (exactly $14,390) Pixelnest Studio, Headbang Club
Carnival Heroes - Super party minigames $3.99 39 97% 1.2k $4.7k (exactly $4,668) LAN - GAMES LTD
Hamster Ballers $3.99 30 73% 900 $3.6k (exactly $3,591) SCH Games, Weird Dog Games
Esophaguys $9.99 11 100% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Esophaguys Team
Bridge Race $4.99 6 100% 180 $898 (exactly $898) Garawell Games, Supersonic Studios LTD
Arena Arcade Fest $8.99 3 100% 90 $809 (exactly $809) Oscar Ortigueira López, OrtiGames/OrtiS… (Oscar Ortigueira López, OrtiGames/OrtiSoft)
Park It! $2.99 7 71% 210 $628 (exactly $628) FunFlow
Kaboomania $9.99 1 100% 30 $300 (exactly $300) Fancy Factory

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