Do I ship it?

GamesSplit ScreenSplit Screen + Adventure

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Split Screen Adventure game?

Split Screen + Adventure

Of 70 developers who shipped a Split Screen Adventure game 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.. 115 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×4.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $2.5M, ×4076 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 115 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 115 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Split Screen + Adventure
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 70
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $449 → $32k → $3.0k → $3.6k → $9.0k → $1.8k → $270 (still earning) → $6.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Split Screen + Adventure: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 70
Bottom 30% $270 (exactly $270)
Median $2.7k (exactly $2,698)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $17,538)
Top 5% $2.6M (exactly $2,559,646)
Developers, 2 yr 70
Released games 283
Announced 115
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 55% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Split Screen
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Adventure
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Split Screen, Adventure; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Local Co-Op, Co-op, Action
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Family Friendly, 3D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 129,199 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $2.7k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $2.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 38 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 115 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Split Screen with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Automobile SimStrong odds25 devs · median $5.5k · 14 announced
  2. + DrivingFair54 devs · median $6.0k · 56 announced
  3. + Immersive SimFair12 devs · median $6.0k · 14 announced
  4. + HorrorFair16 devs · median $4.3k · 18 announced
  5. + SportsFair58 devs · median $4.0k · 52 announced
  6. + RPGFair28 devs · median $450 · 31 announced
  7. + Score AttackLong shot23 devs · median $300 · 24 announced
  8. + CollectathonPoor odds10 devs · median $38k · 16 announced
  9. + Online Co-OpPoor odds30 devs · median $25k · 63 announced
  10. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds15 devs · median $18k · 20 announced
  11. + Open WorldPoor odds20 devs · median $10k · 27 announced
  12. + Tower DefensePoor odds8 devs · median $7.9k · 10 announced

All 84 pairs on the Split Screen page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Need for Speed™ Heat older $69.99 128,933 84% 3.9M $271M (exactly $270,720,620) Ghost Games
It Takes Two older $39.99 218,492 95% 6.6M $262M (exactly $262,124,852) Hazelight Studios
Split Fiction $49.99 78,378 97% 2.4M $118M (exactly $117,543,487) Hazelight Studios
Human Fall Flat older $19.99 174,835 94% 5.2M $105M (exactly $104,848,549) No Brakes Games
Need for Speed™ Unbound older $69.99 49,862 61% 1.5M $105M (exactly $104,695,241) Criterion Games
A Way Out older $29.99 78,174 87% 2.3M $70M (exactly $70,333,148) Hazelight Studios
Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition older $39.99 27,485 88% 825k $33M (exactly $32,973,754) Larian Studios
Resident Evil 6 older $19.99 51,420 77% 1.5M $31M (exactly $30,836,574) Capcom
Outward Definitive Edition older $39.99 24,636 72% 739k $30M (exactly $29,555,809) Nine Dots Studio
Resident Evil 5 older $19.99 48,521 87% 1.5M $29M (exactly $29,098,044) Capcom
Wobbly Life $24.99 33,034 97% 991k $25M (exactly $24,765,590) RubberBandGames
Little Nightmares III $39.99 10,165 46% 305k $12M (exactly $12,194,950) Supermassive Games
Revenge of the Savage Planet $29.99 2,845 86% 85k $2.6M (exactly $2,559,646) Raccoon Logic Studios Inc.
LEGO® Harry Potter™ Collection $39.99 1,464 82% 44k $1.8M (exactly $1,756,361) TT Games, Double Eleven
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged · EA $29.99 1,043 91% 31k $938k (exactly $938,387) Pixel Edge Games
Biped 2 $14.99 813 71% 24k $366k (exactly $365,606) META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy… (META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy Studios)
WheelMates $19.99 496 75% 15k $297k (exactly $297,451) Firevolt
Together: Moon Escape $9.99 868 90% 26k $260k (exactly $260,140) CarlosGameDev
TRANSFORMERS: Galactic Trials $39.99 93 78% 2.8k $112k (exactly $111,572) 3DClouds

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