Do I ship it?

GamesLevel EditorLevel Editor + Choices Matter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Level Editor Choices Matter game?

Level Editor + Choices Matter

Of 22 developers who shipped a Level Editor Choices Matter 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.. 46 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $960, ×1.5 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×270 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 46 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 46 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Choices Matter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $11k → $11k → $7.2k → $299 → $80k → $104k → $180 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Choices Matter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $959 (exactly $959)
Top 25% $80k (exactly $80,360)
Top 5% $170k (exactly $169,715)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 62
Announced 46
Effort 5 / 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 95% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

Level Editor
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Choices Matter
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
Level Editor, Choices Matter; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Dialogue Heavy
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 73% positive over 3,356 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 $960, 1 in 4 over $80k, 1 in 20 over $160k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 5 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 46 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Multiple EndingsFair17 devs · median $8.1k · 23 announced
  2. + Hidden ObjectFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $3.4k · 17 announced
  4. + Time AttackFair12 devs · median $748 · 14 announced
  5. + IdlerFair19 devs · median $719 · 12 announced
  6. + Score AttackFair51 devs · median $598 · 62 announced
  7. + AutomationLong shot27 devs · median $300 · 32 announced
  8. + TransportationPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 17 announced
  9. + TrainsPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 11 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds22 devs · median $43k · 46 announced
  11. + City BuilderPoor odds20 devs · median $24k · 50 announced
  12. + Online Co-OpPoor odds36 devs · median $19k · 111 announced

All 136 pairs on the Level Editor page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Solasta: Crown of the Magister older $29.99 19,680 87% 590k $18M (exactly $17,706,096) Tactical Adventures
Poly Bridge older $9.99 17,107 91% 513k $5.1M (exactly $5,126,968) Dry Cactus
Poly Bridge 2 older $14.99 7,875 95% 236k $3.5M (exactly $3,541,388) Dry Cactus
Everhood 2 $19.99 2,207 74% 66k $1.3M (exactly $1,323,538) Chris Nordgren, Jordi Roca
Legends of Eisenwald older $19.99 1,394 76% 42k $836k (exactly $835,982) Aterdux Entertainment
IRMÃO Grande & Brasileiro 2 older $19.99 1,392 97% 42k $835k (exactly $834,782) Virgula Leal
SimCasino older $24.99 687 74% 21k $515k (exactly $515,044) LVGameDev LLC
Vaudeville $19.99 283 48% 8.5k $170k (exactly $169,715) Bumblebee Studios
Knights of the Chalice 2 older $44.99 117 70% 3.5k $158k (exactly $157,915) Heroic Fantasy Games Dot Com
80's OVERDRIVE older $9.99 502 77% 15k $150k (exactly $150,449) Insane Code
Pro Basketball Manager 2025 $24.99 169 68% 5.1k $127k (exactly $126,699) Umix Studios
Suck Up! $16.99 205 62% 6.2k $104k (exactly $104,488) Proxima
Rocket Boots Mania $14.99 229 99% 6.9k $103k (exactly $102,981) Luma Play
Together in Battle $19.99 134 90% 4.0k $80k (exactly $80,360) Sinister Design
Sniper Camouflage Orange Spy Warrior I Buried Two Bodies in the Garden and the Police Haven't Figured Out Yet That They're Missing Because They Were a Lonely Old Couple Who Had No Relatives Simulator 2026 · EA $9.99 77 66% 2.3k $23k (exactly $23,077) The Only Way Out
Governance · EA $17.99 33 66% 990 $18k (exactly $17,810) Governance Studios
DROD RPG 2: A Courageous Rescue $24.99 12 83% 360 $9.0k (exactly $8,996) Caravel Games
Meepie $4.99 7 100% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Risk of Entertainment

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