Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Crime

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Crime Platformer?

Platformer + Crime

Only 17 developers shipped a Crime Platformer in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, The Break-In, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $630, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $1.2M, ×1948 the market median. Revenue is up 25% on the market; 27 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 25% on the market, 27 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Crime
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.1k → $897 → $3.8k → $479 → $1.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Crime: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $629 (exactly $629)
Top 25% $3.7k (exactly $3,748)
Top 5% $1.2M (exactly $1,223,388)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 53
Announced 27
Effort 6 / 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 up 25% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Crime
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry 2D Platformer, Action, Stealth
Price point
$7.99 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 $7.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 2,122 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $630, 1 in 4 over $3.7k, 1 in 20 over $1.2M.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 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
Squirrel with a Gun older $19.99 3,112 86% 93k $1.9M (exactly $1,866,266) Dee Dee Creations LLC
The Break-In $19.99 2,040 87% 61k $1.2M (exactly $1,223,388) jorgen games Ltd, Oliver Josh
Lara Croft GO older $9.99 3,274 94% 98k $981k (exactly $981,218) Square Enix Montréal
They Always Run older $9.99 770 78% 23k $231k (exactly $230,769) Alawar
The Swindle older $14.99 502 64% 15k $226k (exactly $225,749) Size Five Games
FURRY SEX: Cabaret 💋🔞 older $6.99 299 71% 9.0k $63k (exactly $62,700) Furry Tails
Brush Burial older $6.99 276 87% 8.3k $58k (exactly $57,877) Knife Demon Software
SEX Prison [18+] older $6.99 136 50% 4.1k $29k (exactly $28,519) Romantic Room
KIYO - Bunny Tyranny $14.99 23 100% 690 $10k (exactly $10,343) Pixel Rats
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)
Project Chameleon $9.99 19 100% 570 $5.7k (exactly $5,694) Anonymous King
Street Cleaner 3 $15.99 8 100% 240 $3.8k (exactly $3,838) Creaky Lantern Games
Ninja Five-O $24.99 5 80% 150 $3.7k (exactly $3,748) Limited Run Games, Inc.
1964 Operation Velvet Twins $5.99 8 87% 240 $1.4k (exactly $1,438) SEEP
Mishaka Ubivaka $2.99 10 100% 300 $897 (exactly $897) Low Res
You Must Remember $8.00 3 100% 90 $720 (exactly $720) PotiGames
Blaster Bunny Redemption $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Powergames1142
Yo Skater $6.99 3 100% 90 $629 (exactly $629) Sebaski Studios

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