Do I ship it?

Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Detective

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Detective Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Detective

Of 82 developers who shipped a Detective 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.. 90 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 40 developers shipped in the last year and 90 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 55% on the market, 90 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Detective
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 82
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $2.1k → $478 → $419 → $359 → $358 → $600 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Detective: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 82
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $358 (exactly $358)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,960)
Top 5% $65k (exactly $64,735)
Developers, 2 yr 82
Released games 235
Announced 90
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $5.99

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 55% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Detective
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Exploration, Adventure
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Lore-Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 10,142 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $360, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $64k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 8 in 10 of the 58 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 90 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 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

Chants of Sennaar 2023 · $18M Firework 2021 · $12M Murders on the Yangtze River 2024 · $7.1M Sanfu 2023 · $5.7M DEEMO -Reborn- 2020 · $2.4M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Chants of Sennaar older $19.99 30,416 98% 912k $18M (exactly $18,240,475) Rundisc
Firework older $9.99 41,172 97% 1.2M $12M (exactly $12,339,248) Shiying Studio
Murders on the Yangtze River older $14.99 15,833 96% 475k $7.1M (exactly $7,120,100) OMEGAMES STUDIO
Sanfu older $10.99 17,323 82% 520k $5.7M (exactly $5,711,393) Shiying Studio
DEEMO -Reborn- older $24.99 3,188 87% 96k $2.4M (exactly $2,390,044) Rayark International Limited
Threefold Recital $14.99 5,117 98% 154k $2.3M (exactly $2,301,115) Everscape Games
Clue/Cluedo: Classic Edition older $16.99 3,096 88% 93k $1.6M (exactly $1,578,031) Marmalade Game Studio Ltd
Contrast older $9.99 4,548 90% 136k $1.4M (exactly $1,363,036) Compulsion Games
Supraworld · EA $29.99 1,471 91% 44k $1.3M (exactly $1,323,459) Supra Games
Game of Fate 2: A Century's Promise $15.99 1,054 78% 32k $506k (exactly $505,604) KARMAGAME HK LIMITED
Game Of Fate 3：Clash Of Crowns $16.79 734 85% 22k $370k (exactly $369,716) KARMAGAME HK LIMITED
Game of Fate: Chasing Through Time $10.99 986 88% 30k $325k (exactly $325,084) KARMAGAME HK LIMITED
Paper Bride 7 Lethal Bond $9.99 218 92% 6.5k $65k (exactly $65,335) HeartBeat Plus
春泥 Soil of Rebirth $9.99 216 73% 6.5k $65k (exactly $64,735) 午夜说书人
Rubbings $9.99 183 87% 5.5k $55k (exactly $54,845) 午夜说书人
Together in Forgotten Lands $7.99 104 90% 3.1k $25k (exactly $24,929) Vellichor Games
火起雪中寺 $10.99 59 77% 1.8k $19k (exactly $19,452) 江湖奇事录

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