Do I ship it?

Games › Platformer › Platformer + Capitalism

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Capitalist Platformer?

Platformer + Capitalism

Of 20 developers who shipped a Capitalist 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.. 60 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $330; 1 in 20 cleared $1.3M, ×2835 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 60 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 60 announced, ×5.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Capitalism
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.3k → $7.6k → $5.4k → $7.0k → $1.6k → $240 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Capitalism: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $330 (exactly $330)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 25% $16k (exactly $15,827)
Top 5% $1.3M (exactly $1,346,803)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 53
Announced 60
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 down 85% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 21%, 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Capitalism
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action-Adventure, 3D Platformer
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Difficult, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 3,746 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $330, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $15k, 1 in 20 over $1.3M.

3 in 10 developers made under $330. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 60 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds19 devs · median $3.0k · 15 announced
  2. + PinballStrong odds10 devs · median $2.5k · 6 announced
  3. + Combat RacingFair28 devs · median $899 · 38 announced
  4. + FMVFair9 devs · median $899 · 10 announced
  5. + SimulationFair281 devs · median $628 · 235 announced
  6. + Grid-Based MovementFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  7. + AutomationFair13 devs · median $449 · 16 announced
  8. + Turn-Based TacticsLong shot15 devs · median $360 · 18 announced
  9. + LGBTQ+Poor odds42 devs · median $7.2k · 90 announced
  10. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds32 devs · median $6.5k · 90 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds14 devs · median $5.8k · 38 announced
  12. + SkateboardingPoor odds14 devs · median $4.8k · 23 announced

All 206 pairs on the Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Night in the Woods 2017 · $11M Get To Work 2024 · $1.3M The Elephant Collection 2023 · $325k Garlic Builder 2024 · $72k The Company Man 2021 · $40k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Night in the Woods older $19.99 17,760 94% 533k $11M (exactly $10,650,672) Infinite Fall
Get To Work $12.99 3,456 88% 104k $1.3M (exactly $1,346,803) Isto Inc.
The Elephant Collection older $14.99 723 95% 22k $325k (exactly $325,133) Wonderful Elephant (jmtb02)
Garlic Builder older $7.99 299 92% 9.0k $72k (exactly $71,670) CaveLiquid
The Company Man older $15.99 84 77% 2.5k $40k (exactly $40,295) Forust
Antro $14.99 42 92% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Gatera Studio
Disaster Arms - Impact Project B.A.H.N. $9.99 57 100% 1.7k $17k (exactly $17,083) PD_CGT
Unaccessible $9.99 55 94% 1.7k $16k (exactly $16,484) REMBOT GAMES
Alruna: End of History $11.99 44 88% 1.3k $16k (exactly $15,827) Neckbolt
KAPITAL PUNISHMENT 22XX · EA older $4.99 57 94% 1.7k $8.5k (exactly $8,533) Morningstar Game Studio, Dr. Shameless… (Morningstar Game Studio, Dr. Shameless Cat Games)
Horse Plinko $4.99 47 89% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) Crawley, Womp
Roid Chimp $7.99 11 90% 330 $2.6k (exactly $2,637) Robert Panichpakdee
Dash'n'Drops · EA $6.99 12 91% 360 $2.5k (exactly $2,516) Le Moulin aux Bulles
Bad Goys $4.99 11 72% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) Silvercrest Studios
Sneaky Fishy $4.99 11 100% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) The Sillies

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