Do I ship it?

Games › Level Editor › Level Editor + Grid-Based Movement

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Level Editor Grid-Based Movement game?

Level Editor + Grid-Based Movement

Of 55 developers who shipped a Level Editor Grid-Based Movement game 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.. 72 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $80k, ×128 the market median. Revenue is up 50% on the market; 72 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 50% on the market, 72 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Level Editor + Grid-Based Movement
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 55
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $599 → $4.3k → $1.8k → $899 → $1.0k → $599 → $539 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Level Editor + Grid-Based Movement: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 55
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $6.1k (exactly $6,138)
Top 5% $80k (exactly $80,360)
Developers, 2 yr 55
Released games 164
Announced 72
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 50% on the market, supply as many developers as 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.

Level Editor
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Level Editor, Grid-Based Movement; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Strategy, Logic
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Top-Down, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 1,328 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $6.1k, 1 in 20 over $80k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 28 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 72 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Level Editor with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Multiple EndingsFair17 devs · median $8.1k · 23 announced
  2. + Hidden ObjectFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $3.4k · 17 announced
  4. + Time AttackFair12 devs · median $748 · 14 announced
  5. + IdlerFair19 devs · median $719 · 12 announced
  6. + Score AttackFair51 devs · median $598 · 62 announced
  7. + AutomationLong shot27 devs · median $300 · 32 announced
  8. + TransportationPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 17 announced
  9. + TrainsPoor odds10 devs · median $43k · 11 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds22 devs · median $43k · 46 announced
  11. + City BuilderPoor odds20 devs · median $24k · 50 announced
  12. + Online Co-OpPoor odds36 devs · median $19k · 111 announced

All 136 pairs on the Level Editor page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Legend of Grimrock 2 2014 · $2.2M Legend of Grimrock 2012 · $2.2M Mashinky 2018 · EA · $1.8M Warside 2025 · $410k The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition 2015 · $375k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Legend of Grimrock 2 older $23.99 3,065 90% 92k $2.2M (exactly $2,205,880) Almost Human Games
Legend of Grimrock older $14.99 4,844 93% 145k $2.2M (exactly $2,178,347) Almost Human Games
Mashinky · EA older $24.99 2,361 84% 71k $1.8M (exactly $1,770,042) Jan Zelený
Warside $24.99 547 68% 16k $410k (exactly $410,086) LAVABIRD
The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition older $19.99 625 83% 19k $375k (exactly $374,812) Mana Games
Gentoo Rescue $19.99 237 99% 7.1k $142k (exactly $142,129) Jagriff
Dungeon Of Dragon Knight older $11.99 315 74% 9.5k $113k (exactly $113,306) HexGameStudio
Together in Battle $19.99 134 90% 4.0k $80k (exactly $80,360) Sinister Design
DUSK '82: ULTIMATE EDITION older $6.99 383 95% 11k $80k (exactly $80,315) David Szymanski
Telepath Tactics Liberated older $19.99 120 85% 3.6k $72k (exactly $71,964) Sinister Design
Blobun $9.99 151 99% 4.5k $45k (exactly $45,255) CyanSorcery
Puzzle Depot $19.99 61 100% 1.8k $37k (exactly $36,582) Laughing Manatee Games
Earth vs Mars $14.99 74 85% 2.2k $33k (exactly $33,278) Relic Entertainment
Tactical Annihilation $15.99 56 98% 1.7k $27k (exactly $26,863) B.G. Game Studio
Hazard Pay $16.99 24 100% 720 $12k (exactly $12,233) Smitner Studio
Pixelogic: Nonograms Unlimited $14.99 20 95% 600 $9.0k (exactly $8,994) okayest! studios
The Puzzle Maker: Cebba’s Odyssey $11.99 24 100% 720 $8.6k (exactly $8,633) Arcaneworks Inc.

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