Do I ship it?

Games › Combat › Combat + Puzzle Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Combat Puzzle Platformer?

Combat + Puzzle Platformer

Of 87 developers who shipped a Combat Puzzle 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.. 242 more are announced, ×5.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $520k, ×842 the market median. Revenue is up 95% on the market; 242 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 95% on the market, 242 announced, ×5.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Puzzle Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 87
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $899 → $776 → $479 → $1.3k → $299 → $599 → $4.1k (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Puzzle Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 87
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $600 (exactly $600)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $11,691)
Top 5% $529k (exactly $528,538)
Developers, 2 yr 87
Released games 275
Announced 242
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 95% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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.

Combat
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Puzzle 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
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Combat, Puzzle Platformer; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Action-Adventure
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 18,742 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 $600, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $520k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 48 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 242 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Real-Time with PauseStrong odds14 devs · median $15k · 12 announced
  2. + 4XFair32 devs · median $3.8k · 48 announced
  3. + TypingFair20 devs · median $2.2k · 26 announced
  4. + VampiresFair54 devs · median $1.9k · 64 announced
  5. + SnowFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 24 announced
  6. + Walking SimulatorFair51 devs · median $599 · 61 announced
  7. + Match 3Long shot13 devs · median $359 · 16 announced
  8. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds32 devs · median $55k · 85 announced
  9. + Political SimPoor odds14 devs · median $49k · 22 announced
  10. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds21 devs · median $31k · 47 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds23 devs · median $19k · 45 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds52 devs · median $16k · 90 announced

All 248 pairs on the Combat page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince 2019 · $11M Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst 2020 · $8.4M Farever 2026 · EA · $5.4M Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power 2015 · $4.8M Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered 2024 · $2.7M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince older $29.99 11,712 88% 351k $11M (exactly $10,537,286) Frozenbyte
Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst older $19.99 14,078 79% 422k $8.4M (exactly $8,442,577) DICE
Farever · EA $19.99 8,968 75% 269k $5.4M (exactly $5,378,110) Shiro Games
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power older $21.99 7,301 63% 219k $4.8M (exactly $4,816,470) Frozenbyte
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered $29.99 3,042 90% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
The Plucky Squire $29.99 2,795 84% 84k $2.5M (exactly $2,514,662) All Possible Futures
Supraland Six Inches Under older $19.99 3,975 96% 119k $2.4M (exactly $2,383,808) Supra Games
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy older $29.99 2,524 89% 76k $2.3M (exactly $2,270,843) Frozenbyte
Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition $39.99 1,484 78% 45k $1.8M (exactly $1,780,355) Myrkur Games
Moss VR older $19.99 2,941 94% 88k $1.8M (exactly $1,763,718) Polyarc
1348 Ex Voto $24.99 705 53% 21k $529k (exactly $528,538) Sedleo
Succubus Successor: Delilah's Juicy Journey $14.99 883 90% 26k $397k (exactly $397,085) Ramen Cat Studio, 樹画祭
Moss: The Forgotten Relic $19.99 368 92% 11k $221k (exactly $220,690) Polyarc, Blackbird Interactive
Star Overdrive $34.99 141 87% 4.2k $148k (exactly $148,008) Caracal Games
Cursed Armor 2 $15.99 236 84% 7.1k $113k (exactly $113,209) wolfgame
Lovish $14.99 120 85% 3.6k $54k (exactly $53,964) LABS Works

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