Do I ship it?

Games › Arcade › Arcade + Precision Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Precision Platformer Arcade game?

Arcade + Precision Platformer

Of 421 developers who shipped a Precision Platformer Arcade 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.. 394 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 249 developers shipped in the last year and 394 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 20% on the market, 394 announced, ×1.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Arcade + Precision Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 421
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.3k → $599 → $418 → $719 → $359 → $358 → $269 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Arcade + Precision Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 421
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $299 (exactly $299)
Top 25% $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Top 5% $14k (exactly $14,390)
Developers, 2 yr 421
Released games 1,292
Announced 394
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 20% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Precision 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
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Arcade, Precision Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, 2D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 2,274 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $300, 1 in 4 over $1.3k, 1 in 20 over $14k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. Nearly all of the 213 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 394 games are announced against 249 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair59 devs · median $4.3k · 88 announced
  2. + TrainsFair20 devs · median $3.1k · 16 announced
  3. + Visual NovelFair101 devs · median $2.6k · 84 announced
  4. + MiningFair91 devs · median $2.2k · 125 announced
  5. + FaithFair16 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  6. + Turn-BasedFair35 devs · median $2.2k · 32 announced
  7. + EconomyFair199 devs · median $2.1k · 285 announced
  8. + LGBTQ+Fair72 devs · median $2.1k · 61 announced
  9. + DeckbuildingFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  10. + Card BattlerFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  11. + LootFair147 devs · median $1.9k · 215 announced
  12. + VampiresFair34 devs · median $1.9k · 35 announced

All 270 pairs on the Arcade page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Geometry Dash 2014 · $89M HUNTDOWN 2021 · $2.4M PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC 2022 · $1.5M Cyber Hook 2020 · $1.4M N++ (NPLUSPLUS) 2016 · $1.3M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Geometry Dash older $4.99 595,606 93% 18M $89M (exactly $89,162,218) RobTop Games
HUNTDOWN older $19.99 4,059 94% 122k $2.4M (exactly $2,434,182) Easy Trigger Games
PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC older $29.99 1,644 92% 49k $1.5M (exactly $1,479,107) NOW PRODUCTION
Cyber Hook older $14.99 3,102 95% 93k $1.4M (exactly $1,394,969) Blazing Stick
N++ (NPLUSPLUS) older $14.99 2,825 95% 85k $1.3M (exactly $1,270,402) Metanet Software Inc.
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien older $14.99 1,630 93% 49k $733k (exactly $733,011) Gaijin Games
Downwell older $2.99 7,891 96% 237k $708k (exactly $707,823) Moppin
Super Mombo Quest older $19.99 795 96% 24k $477k (exactly $476,761) Orube Game Studio
Only Climb: Better Together older $4.99 2,939 54% 88k $440k (exactly $439,968) Exbyte Studios
Disc Room older $14.99 957 92% 29k $430k (exactly $430,363) Terri, Dose, Kitty, JW
Shotgun Cop Man $9.99 633 96% 19k $190k (exactly $189,710) DeadToast Entertainment
Moventure $12.34 239 67% 7.2k $88k (exactly $88,478) Pixelatto
ZAKO NO AHIRU $6.99 278 87% 8.3k $58k (exactly $58,297) FUファイターズ
4Wheel Challenge $3.99 409 57% 12k $49k (exactly $48,957) LJ3D STUDIOS
Sensory Overload $9.99 162 93% 4.9k $49k (exactly $48,551) Pancake Studios
SomnaBuster $14.99 89 97% 2.7k $40k (exactly $40,023) PD_CGT
Y2ROLL $14.99 81 93% 2.4k $36k (exactly $36,426) MenacingMecha
Galumb $7.99 148 28% 4.4k $35k (exactly $35,476) OB
JETRUNNER $9.99 118 96% 3.5k $35k (exactly $35,365) Riddlebit Software
The Rocky Horror Show Video Game $9.99 117 86% 3.5k $35k (exactly $35,065) FreakZone Games

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