Do I ship it?

Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Crime

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Crime Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Crime

Only 16 developers shipped a Crime Puzzle 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, 春泥 Soil of Rebirth, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 23 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $64k, ×103 the market median. Revenue is up 15370% on the market; 23 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 15370% on the market, 23 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Crime
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.4k → $0 → $10k (still earning) → $539 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Crime: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $114 (exactly $114)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $15k (exactly $14,735)
Top 5% $65k (exactly $64,735)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 50
Announced 23
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 15370% on the market, supply 10% fewer 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.

Puzzle 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
Puzzle Platformer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Investigation, Puzzle
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Atmospheric
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 80% positive over 600 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 $14k, 1 in 20 over $64k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 23 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomanceFair41 devs · median $1.5k · 38 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  3. + Life SimFair20 devs · median $657 · 21 announced
  4. + SimulationFair216 devs · median $479 · 181 announced
  5. + Grid-Based MovementFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced
  6. + SokobanFair51 devs · median $358 · 49 announced
  7. + LovecraftianPoor odds11 devs · median $9.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds26 devs · median $9.0k · 53 announced
  9. + MetroidvaniaPoor odds91 devs · median $5.3k · 264 announced
  10. + SwordplayPoor odds8 devs · median $4.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Split ScreenPoor odds24 devs · median $3.6k · 35 announced
  12. + Hack and SlashPoor odds18 devs · median $3.0k · 80 announced

All 169 pairs on the Puzzle Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Sanfu 2023 · $5.7M Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition 2018 · $1.6M 坏小孩 2021 · $142k Keyword: A Spider's Thread 2021 · $122k 春泥 Soil of Rebirth 2026 · $65k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sanfu older $10.99 17,323 82% 520k $5.7M (exactly $5,711,393) Shiying Studio
Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition older $16.99 3,096 88% 93k $1.6M (exactly $1,578,031) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
坏小孩 older $2.99 1,586 95% 48k $142k (exactly $142,264) WildMonkey
Keyword: A Spider's Thread older $16.99 239 79% 7.2k $122k (exactly $121,818) City From Naught Inc.
春泥 Soil of Rebirth $9.99 216 73% 6.5k $65k (exactly $64,735) 午夜说书人
FURRY SEX: Cabaret 💋🔞 older $6.99 299 71% 9.0k $63k (exactly $62,700) Furry Tails
Rubbings $9.99 183 87% 5.5k $55k (exactly $54,845) 午夜说书人
SEX Prison [18+] older $6.99 136 50% 4.1k $29k (exactly $28,519) Romantic Room
Crowhille - Detective Case Files VR older $5.99 90 88% 2.7k $16k (exactly $16,173) Saturn VR, NipsApp Gaming Software
Ghost Deliverer · EA $18.99 28 96% 840 $16k (exactly $15,952) TEAMDADA
The Strange Story Of Brian Fisher: Chapter 2 $14.99 34 94% 1.0k $15k (exactly $15,290) Intetic
Homicide Desk $5.99 82 67% 2.5k $15k (exactly $14,735) Shu'la Lab LLC
KIYO - Bunny Tyranny $14.99 23 100% 690 $10k (exactly $10,343) Pixel Rats
Do A Crime $14.99 12 91% 360 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) Collywobble Games
三九 $5.99 17 64% 510 $3.1k (exactly $3,055) 暗极工坊
Realization $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Agaze Productions
AIKO $5.99 3 66% 90 $539 (exactly $539) https://www.instagram.com/dreadcompany?… (https://www.instagram.com/dreadcompany?igsi=MXN0NDlidWIxdGEwbQ==)

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