Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Demons

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Demon Platformer?

Platformer + Demons

Of 70 developers who shipped a Demon 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.. 106 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×4.4 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $610k, ×1286 the market median. Revenue is up 225% on the market; 106 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 225% on the market, 106 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Demons
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 70
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.1k → $1.3k → $898 → $1.2k → $2.1k → $1.4k → $4.1k (still earning) → $3.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Demons: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 70
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,096)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $10,629)
Top 5% $611k (exactly $610,693)
Developers, 2 yr 70
Released games 248
Announced 106
Effort 4 / 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 225% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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
Demons
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Platformer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 2D Platformer, Adventure
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Retro
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 12,132 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $610k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 41 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 106 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 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
DmC: Devil May Cry older $29.99 20,938 93% 628k $19M (exactly $18,837,919) Ninja Theory
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin older $29.99 5,004 92% 150k $4.5M (exactly $4,502,099) Edelweiss
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered $29.99 3,042 90% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound $24.99 2,500 92% 75k $1.9M (exactly $1,874,250) The Game Kitchen
Castlevania Dominus Collection older $24.99 2,362 94% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,791) KONAMI
Castlevania Advance Collection older $19.99 2,149 91% 64k $1.3M (exactly $1,288,755) KONAMI
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell older $14.99 2,050 95% 62k $922k (exactly $921,885) Pine Studio
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus older $19.99 1,398 82% 42k $838k (exactly $838,381) Squid Shock Studios, Christopher Stair,… (Squid Shock Studios, Christopher Stair, Trevor Youngquist)
Hell Pie older $24.99 1,116 91% 33k $837k (exactly $836,665) Sluggerfly
Luna Abyss $29.99 923 86% 28k $830k (exactly $830,423) Kwalee Labs
BLADECHIMERA $14.99 1,358 88% 41k $611k (exactly $610,693) Team Ladybug, WSS playground
The Devil Within: Satgat $24.99 795 78% 24k $596k (exactly $596,012) Newcore Games
Dragon Is Dead $19.99 661 75% 20k $396k (exactly $396,402) TeamSuneat
Twin Shot Deluxe $9.99 1,167 95% 35k $350k (exactly $349,750) Nitrome Limited
Eternity Egg · EA $19.99 577 82% 17k $346k (exactly $346,027) USERLANDS
Mama's Sleeping Angels $9.99 1,040 93% 31k $312k (exactly $311,688) itamu
Ariana and the Elder Codex $29.99 69 65% 2.1k $62k (exactly $62,079) Idea Factory, Compile Heart, HYDE, Inc.

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