Do I ship it?

Games › Intentionally Awkward Controls › Intentionally Awkward Controls + Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Intentionally Awkward Controls Platformer?

Intentionally Awkward Controls + Platformer

Of 20 developers who shipped an Intentionally Awkward Controls 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.. 11 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $20k, ×43 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 11 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 11 announced, ×1.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Intentionally Awkward Controls + Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.2k → $1.8k → $719 → $9.7k → $597 → $240 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Intentionally Awkward Controls + Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $2.5k (exactly $2,516)
Top 5% $20k (exactly $20,236)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 62
Announced 11
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 65% on the market, supply 45% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Intentionally Awkward Controls
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Platformer
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
Intentionally Awkward Controls, Platformer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Precision Platformer, 3D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Difficult, Third Person, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 191 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $600, 1 in 4 over $2.5k, 1 in 20 over $20k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. All of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 11 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Intentionally Awkward Controls with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + PhysicsPoor odds25 devs · median $1.2k · 17 announced
  2. + 3D PlatformerPoor odds12 devs · median $718 · 4 announced
  3. + Precision PlatformerPoor odds18 devs · median $629 · 10 announced
  4. + ActionPoor odds22 devs · median $599 · 15 announced
  5. + SimulationDead12 devs · median $3.4k · 7 announced
  6. + AdventureDead16 devs · median $2.8k · 16 announced
  7. + Psychological HorrorDead17 devs · median $1.2k · 9 announced
  8. + ArcadeDead11 devs · median $599 · 4 announced
  9. + 2D PlatformerDead9 devs · median $599 · 6 announced

All 9 pairs on the Intentionally Awkward Controls page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Stilt Fella 2020 · $309k The Game of Sisyphus 2024 · $155k Simple Fish Adventure 2021 · $45k Ria's Hook 2018 · $32k Get Tilted! :) 2025 · $20k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Stilt Fella older $12.99 794 92% 24k $309k (exactly $309,422) September Games
The Game of Sisyphus older $6.99 741 79% 22k $155k (exactly $155,388) cream
Simple Fish Adventure older $3.99 374 88% 11k $45k (exactly $44,768) LostVolBytes
Ria's Hook older $2.99 359 83% 11k $32k (exactly $32,202) Fossil
Get Tilted! :) $14.99 45 97% 1.4k $20k (exactly $20,236) Timebat Studio
Soviet Bear Uni Adventure older $9.99 65 69% 2.0k $19k (exactly $19,480) J
LOST EGG older $2.99 153 80% 4.6k $14k (exactly $13,724) KIMIDORI SOFT
Handstand Hank $4.99 65 95% 2.0k $9.7k (exactly $9,730) Michael Fischer
Fish Hero older $2.99 100 77% 3.0k $9.0k (exactly $8,970) MODE24
Robotry! older $12.49 20 95% 600 $7.5k (exactly $7,494) Lockpickle
I HATE MY LEGS $10.99 17 100% 510 $5.6k (exactly $5,605) Subhumans Studio
Ropebound $4.99 19 94% 570 $2.8k (exactly $2,844) Bubbling Cat Games
Ropeman $5.99 14 100% 420 $2.5k (exactly $2,516) 1K Project
Gunz & Golf $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Virtual Ducky Games
Getting Over It with Your Body $9.99 4 25% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) BombGame
a Difficult game about Wheelchair $2.99 8 62% 240 $718 (exactly $718) SATEKI GAMES
UFO-Man $6.99 3 100% 90 $629 (exactly $629) Dyglone
Walrus Run $4.99 4 100% 120 $599 (exactly $599) The Jam

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