Do I ship it?

Games › Platformer › Platformer + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object Platformer?

Platformer + Hidden Object

Of 120 developers who shipped a Hidden Object 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.. 130 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 62 developers shipped in the last year and 130 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 20% on the market, 130 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 120
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $299 → $505 → $299 → $599 → $299 → $629 → $180 (still earning) → $60 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 120
Bottom 30% $75 (exactly $75)
Median $297 (exactly $297)
Top 25% $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 5% $33k (exactly $32,987)
Developers, 2 yr 120
Released games 402
Announced 130
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 up 20% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Platformer, Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Action
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Colorful, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 2,096 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $75, median $300, 1 in 4 over $1.6k, 1 in 20 over $32k.

3 in 10 developers made under $75. Nearly all of the 78 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 130 games are announced against 62 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Platformer with a different second tag, 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

In Sound Mind 2021 · $5.7M CATO: Buttered Cat 2024 · $921k Shattered Divinities 2026 · $272k BLACKSHARD 2025 · $194k Panoptic 2020 · $143k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
In Sound Mind older $34.99 5,467 95% 164k $5.7M (exactly $5,738,710) We Create Stuff
CATO: Buttered Cat older $10.99 2,794 98% 84k $921k (exactly $921,182) Team Woll
Shattered Divinities $9.99 906 94% 27k $272k (exactly $271,528) 星魂游戏
BLACKSHARD $14.99 432 91% 13k $194k (exactly $194,270) Redlock Studio, Enclave
Panoptic older $16.99 281 96% 8.4k $143k (exactly $143,226) Team Panoptes
Looking For Fael $19.99 165 98% 5.0k $99k (exactly $98,950) Swing Swing Submarine, La Poule Noire,… (Swing Swing Submarine, La Poule Noire, ARTE France)
Apocalyptic cat older $29.99 101 84% 3.0k $91k (exactly $90,870) Galactic Geckon
Digital Meow older $29.99 101 83% 3.0k $91k (exactly $90,870) Galactic Geckon
Piece by Piece $12.99 233 100% 7.0k $91k (exactly $90,800) Neon Polygons
Rap Pop Jump Core older $29.99 91 89% 2.7k $82k (exactly $81,873) Galactic Geckon
Magic Tiny Lands $29.99 86 90% 2.6k $77k (exactly $77,374) Galactic Geckon
OUTCLAW $24.99 44 93% 1.3k $33k (exactly $32,987) Moss Monkey
Queen of treasure isle · EA $8.99 96 94% 2.9k $26k (exactly $25,891) gobou
Bubble Ghost Remake $14.99 32 100% 960 $14k (exactly $14,390) Nakama Game Studio
Platform $9.99 46 73% 1.4k $14k (exactly $13,786) METAGAR
Irbet Tong $6.99 56 100% 1.7k $12k (exactly $11,743) Kyhynngy Oyuur

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