Games › Runner › Runner + Female Protagonist
Should I ship a Female-Led Runner?
Runner + Female Protagonist
Of 46 developers who shipped a Female-Led Runner 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.. 64 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $510, ×1.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×269 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 64 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $30 (exactly $30) |
|---|---|
| Median | $510 (exactly $510) |
| Top 25% | $5.4k (exactly $5,396) |
| Top 5% | $128k (exactly $127,715) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 46 |
| Released games | 162 |
| Announced | 64 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $3.99 |
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 85% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Runner
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Female Protagonist
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Runner; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Exploration
- Price point
- $3.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Anime, Colorful, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.
The top 10 games average 91% positive over 15,471 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 64 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LootFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + FPSLong shot
- + 4 Player LocalPoor odds
- + MusicPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Interactive FictionPoor odds
Comparable games
Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst 2020 · $8.4M 
Haste 2025 · $7.6M 
Melody's Escape 2016 · $1.3M 
Nitro Express 2025 · $417k 
pureya 2021 · $403k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst | older | $19.99 | 14,078 79% | 422k | $8.4M (exactly $8,442,577) | DICE |
| | Haste | $19.99 | 12,690 92% | 381k | $7.6M (exactly $7,610,193) | Landfall | |
| | Melody's Escape | older | $9.99 | 4,336 92% | 130k | $1.3M (exactly $1,299,499) | Icetesy |
| | Nitro Express | $12.99 | 1,069 75% | 32k | $417k (exactly $416,589) | Grayfax Software | |
| | pureya | older | $5.99 | 2,242 96% | 67k | $403k (exactly $402,887) | Majorariatto |
 | TASOMACHI: Behind the Twilight | older | $19.99 | 529 75% | 16k | $317k (exactly $317,241) | Orbital Express |
 | Boson X | older | $4.99 | 1,327 93% | 40k | $199k (exactly $198,652) | Ian MacLarty, Jon Kerney |
 | Melody's Escape 2 | $14.99 | 284 95% | 8.5k | $128k (exactly $127,715) | Icetesy | |
 | Relooted | $14.99 | 257 87% | 7.7k | $116k (exactly $115,573) | Nyamakop | |
 | Elypse | older | $9.99 | 297 71% | 8.9k | $89k (exactly $89,011) | Hot Chili Games |
 | Momoka (wo) Wasshoi | $3.50 | 804 94% | 24k | $84k (exactly $84,420) | TOEI ANIMATION Co.,Ltd | |
 | WakuWaku Park | $24.99 | 100 72% | 3.0k | $75k (exactly $74,970) | DOUJIN3ARIES | |
 | JETRUNNER | $9.99 | 118 96% | 3.5k | $35k (exactly $35,365) | Riddlebit Software | |
 | Sex on the beach | $24.99 | 30 63% | 900 | $22k (exactly $22,491) | Games For Pleasure | |
 | Abyss Runner | $6.99 | 105 86% | 3.2k | $22k (exactly $22,018) | Asuwawagami | |
 | Sexuality in Ancient Rome | $19.99 | 14 64% | 420 | $8.4k (exactly $8,396) | Games For Pleasure |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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