Do I ship it?

Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Hacking

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hacking Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Hacking

Only 14 developers shipped a Hacking Puzzle Platformer in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Codename: Terranova, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 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 $420 in the last 2 years and $420 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 8 developers shipped in the last year and 18 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 18 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Hacking
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.7k → $600 → $449 → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Hacking: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $419 (exactly $419)
Top 25% $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 5% $17k (exactly $16,553)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 38
Announced 18
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 60% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Hacking
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
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 62 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $420, 1 in 4 over $1.6k, 1 in 20 over $16k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. All of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 8 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

LIBERATED 2020 · $407k Yolo Space Hacker 2020 · $156k I hate this game 2019 · $147k Keyword: A Spider's Thread 2021 · $122k Super Markup Man 2016 · $18k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
LIBERATED older $19.99 679 77% 20k $407k (exactly $407,196) Atomic Wolf, L.INC
Yolo Space Hacker older $24.99 208 95% 6.2k $156k (exactly $155,938) BKNLab
I hate this game older $1.99 2,466 93% 74k $147k (exactly $147,220) Pixel Error
Keyword: A Spider's Thread older $16.99 239 79% 7.2k $122k (exactly $121,818) City From Naught Inc.
Super Markup Man older $4.99 120 81% 3.6k $18k (exactly $17,964) Roppy Chop Studios
Codename: Terranova $23.99 23 69% 690 $17k (exactly $16,553) ACGames
Operation Deep Magic: Cryptanalysis older $49.99 4 25% 120 $6.0k (exactly $5,999) 1013133 Simulations
HA/CK older $9.99 15 73% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Gampixi
Yolo Space Hacker 2 - Mission Bahamas $19.99 4 75% 120 $2.4k (exactly $2,399) BKNLab
Debugger 3.16: Hack'n'Run older $2.99 26 76% 780 $2.3k (exactly $2,332) Spiderwork Games
Alpha and Iota $5.00 11 100% 330 $1.7k (exactly $1,650) Alpha and Iota Games
The Little Pixel That Could $4.99 11 100% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) R.J. Brontsema
Neon Cipher $19.99 1 100% 30 $600 (exactly $600) eXomorph Games
H4CT0PL45M $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) MetricBead
RE_ALLOC $3.49 4 25% 120 $419 (exactly $419) nomorevalid, yekbun
TAU-09 $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) axsys_crash
MAYBE I CAN $9.99 1 0% 30 $300 (exactly $300) NIGHTCREW
Escape 2049 $9.99 1 100% 30 $300 (exactly $300) OrionSoft

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