Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Platformer?

Platformer + Cats

Of 118 developers who shipped a Cat 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.. 166 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×273 the market median. Revenue is up 120% on the market; 166 games are announced against 67 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 120% on the market, 166 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 118
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.4k → $838 → $539 → $898 → $360 → $899 → $1.2k (still earning) → $420 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 118
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $838 (exactly $838)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,191)
Top 5% $130k (exactly $129,535)
Developers, 2 yr 118
Released games 343
Announced 166
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 120% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Cats
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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
Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Colorful, 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 94% positive over 5,055 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $840, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $120k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 60 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 166 games are announced against 67 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Nine Sols older $29.99 40,138 94% 1.2M $36M (exactly $36,112,159) RedCandleGames
BattleBlock Theater® older $14.99 55,793 97% 1.7M $25M (exactly $25,090,112) The Behemoth
Night in the Woods older $19.99 17,760 94% 533k $11M (exactly $10,650,672) Infinite Fall
In Sound Mind older $34.99 5,467 95% 164k $5.7M (exactly $5,738,710) We Create Stuff
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin older $29.99 5,004 92% 150k $4.5M (exactly $4,502,099) Edelweiss
Crypt Custodian older $19.99 2,927 96% 88k $1.8M (exactly $1,755,322) Kyle Thompson
Gato Roboto older $7.99 4,363 94% 131k $1.0M (exactly $1,045,811) doinksoft
CATO: Buttered Cat older $10.99 2,794 98% 84k $921k (exactly $921,182) Team Woll
New Super Lucky's Tale older $29.99 678 94% 20k $610k (exactly $609,997) Playful Corp.
Bubsy 4D $19.99 777 92% 23k $466k (exactly $465,967) Fabraz
Twin Shot Deluxe $9.99 1,167 95% 35k $350k (exactly $349,750) Nitrome Limited
Fatal Claw $24.99 428 89% 13k $321k (exactly $320,872) NDEV GAMES
Super Chipflake Ü: Quest for the Uncooked Schnitzel $19.99 395 96% 12k $237k (exactly $236,881) SalsaShark Studios
Catto's Post Office $4.99 1,203 97% 36k $180k (exactly $180,089) In Shambles Studio
Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection $19.99 216 84% 6.5k $130k (exactly $129,535) Limited Run Games
Everdeep Aurora $19.99 177 89% 5.3k $106k (exactly $106,147) Nautilus Games
Stars In The Trash $11.99 279 97% 8.4k $100k (exactly $100,356) Valhalla Cats
Curiosity: A Cat Climbing Game $9.99 220 96% 6.6k $66k (exactly $65,934) DarkBear Studios, iNightGaming LLC
Dungeons And Cat $9.99 193 88% 5.8k $58k (exactly $57,842) CatBellUnion

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