Do I ship it?

Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Platformer Action RPG?

Action RPG + Platformer

Of 144 developers who shipped a Platformer Action RPG 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.. 323 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×1.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×181 the market median. Revenue is up 285% on the market; 323 games are announced against 81 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 285% on the market, 323 announced, ×4.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RPG + Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 144
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.7k → $1.8k → $2.2k → $3.0k → $3.4k → $1.8k → $1.3k (still earning) → $3.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RPG + Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 144
Bottom 30% $446 (exactly $446)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $11,210)
Top 5% $272k (exactly $271,528)
Developers, 2 yr 144
Released games 458
Announced 323
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $7.99

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 285% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action RPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
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
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Action RPG, Platformer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action-Adventure, Adventure
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Side Scroller
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 36,691 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $270k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 76 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 323 games are announced against 81 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + NavalFair17 devs · median $15k · 11 announced
  2. + Local Co-OpFair68 devs · median $6.0k · 82 announced
  3. + WesternFair13 devs · median $5.5k · 15 announced
  4. + Local MultiplayerFair43 devs · median $5.5k · 56 announced
  5. + Walking SimulatorLong shot35 devs · median $450 · 33 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds7 devs · median $198k · 28 announced
  7. + Character Action GamePoor odds14 devs · median $105k · 55 announced
  8. + MechsPoor odds21 devs · median $59k · 43 announced
  9. + Colony SimPoor odds11 devs · median $58k · 35 announced
  10. + Dating SimPoor odds31 devs · median $44k · 47 announced
  11. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds23 devs · median $26k · 69 announced
  12. + Bullet HeavenPoor odds77 devs · median $25k · 91 announced

All 211 pairs on the Action RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Sonic Frontiers 2022 · $27M Blasphemous 2 2023 · $15M ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist 2025 · $13M Salt and Sanctuary 2016 · $11M Dust: An Elysian Tail 2013 · $6.4M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sonic Frontiers older $39.99 22,701 90% 681k $27M (exactly $27,234,390) Sonic Team
Blasphemous 2 older $29.99 16,808 91% 504k $15M (exactly $15,122,158) The Game Kitchen
ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist $24.99 17,143 95% 514k $13M (exactly $12,852,107) Adglobe, Live Wire
Salt and Sanctuary older $17.99 20,081 89% 602k $11M (exactly $10,837,716) Ska Studios
Dust: An Elysian Tail older $14.99 14,250 95% 428k $6.4M (exactly $6,408,225) Humble Hearts LLC
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown older $29.99 6,754 84% 203k $6.1M (exactly $6,076,574) Ubisoft Montpellier
Farever · EA $19.99 8,968 75% 269k $5.4M (exactly $5,378,110) Shiro Games
Afterimage older $24.99 6,929 79% 208k $5.2M (exactly $5,194,671) Aurogon Shanghai
Dungeon Munchies older $19.99 6,596 97% 198k $4.0M (exactly $3,955,621) maJAJa
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree $39.99 3,026 75% 91k $3.6M (exactly $3,630,292) Primal Game Studio
Kotama and Academy Citadel $19.99 2,542 80% 76k $1.5M (exactly $1,524,437) Atomstring Games
AWAKEN - Astral Blade $19.99 1,121 82% 34k $672k (exactly $672,264) Dark Pigeon Games
BLADECHIMERA $14.99 1,358 88% 41k $611k (exactly $610,693) Team Ladybug, WSS playground
Dragon Is Dead $19.99 661 75% 20k $396k (exactly $396,402) TeamSuneat
Shattered Divinities $9.99 906 94% 27k $272k (exactly $271,528) 星魂游戏
RUBATO $19.99 441 97% 13k $264k (exactly $264,468) dconn
Divinum $14.99 525 85% 16k $236k (exactly $236,092) Sigil Games

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