Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Dark Fantasy
Should I ship a Dark-Fantasy Puzzle Platformer?
Puzzle Platformer + Dark Fantasy
Of 58 developers who shipped a Dark-Fantasy 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.. 136 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $720, ×1.1 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×265 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 136 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $179 (exactly $179) |
|---|---|
| Median | $719 (exactly $719) |
| Top 25% | $8.4k (exactly $8,398) |
| Top 5% | $166k (exactly $166,433) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 58 |
| Released games | 200 |
| Announced | 136 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 down 70% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Dark Fantasy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Puzzle, Platformer
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 5,124 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 35 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 136 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Puzzle Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RomanceFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + Life SimFair
- + SimulationFair
- + Grid-Based MovementFair
- + SokobanFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
- + MetroidvaniaPoor odds
- + SwordplayPoor odds
- + Split ScreenPoor odds
- + Hack and SlashPoor odds
Comparable games
The Last Campfire 2021 · $7.8M 
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered 2024 · $2.7M 
Praey for the Gods 2021 · $2.2M 
MO:Astray 2019 · $1.8M 
White Shadows 2021 · $1.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Last Campfire | older | $14.99 | 17,406 97% | 522k | $7.8M (exactly $7,827,478) | Hello Games |
| | Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered | $29.99 | 3,042 90% | 91k | $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) | Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics | |
| | Praey for the Gods | older | $29.99 | 2,489 82% | 75k | $2.2M (exactly $2,239,353) | No Matter Studios |
| | MO:Astray | older | $14.99 | 4,058 92% | 122k | $1.8M (exactly $1,824,883) | Archpray Inc. |
| | White Shadows | older | $19.99 | 1,877 81% | 56k | $1.1M (exactly $1,125,637) | Monokel |
 | Bye Sweet Carole | $24.99 | 1,039 72% | 31k | $779k (exactly $778,938) | Little Sewing Machine | |
 | Greak: Memories of Azur | older | $19.99 | 994 79% | 30k | $596k (exactly $596,102) | Navegante |
 | Teslagrad | older | $9.99 | 1,709 83% | 51k | $512k (exactly $512,187) | Rain Games |
 | SILT | older | $14.99 | 793 79% | 24k | $357k (exactly $356,612) | Spiral Circus Games |
 | Selfloss | older | $24.99 | 258 75% | 7.7k | $193k (exactly $193,423) | Goodwin Games |
 | Fallen Tear: The Ascension | · EA | $24.99 | 222 81% | 6.7k | $166k (exactly $166,433) | Winter Crew Studios |
 | Everdeep Aurora | $19.99 | 177 89% | 5.3k | $106k (exactly $106,147) | Nautilus Games | |
 | Ayasa: Shadows of Silence | $24.99 | 110 74% | 3.3k | $82k (exactly $82,467) | Aya Games | |
 | Once Upon A Puppet | $24.99 | 100 83% | 3.0k | $75k (exactly $74,970) | Flatter Than Earth | |
 | He Who Watches | $19.99 | 109 96% | 3.3k | $65k (exactly $65,367) | Bobby Vanden | |
 | Beyond the Ice Palace 2 | $19.99 | 77 63% | 2.3k | $46k (exactly $46,177) | STORYBIRD Studio | |
 | Ultimate Drummer | $5.99 | 170 98% | 5.1k | $31k (exactly $30,549) | Cool 3D World | |
 | Darkway: Murder of King Mere | $7.99 | 78 97% | 2.3k | $19k (exactly $18,697) | IM/MORTAL Studios, Pierce Papke / Ekpap |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.