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Should I ship a Level Editor Time Manipulation game?
Level Editor + Time Manipulation
Only 4 developers shipped a Level Editor Time Manipulation game in the last 2 years. Over 4 years, 17 did: 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.. 13 more are announced, ×13 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.
Only 1 developer shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $1.4k against a market of $630. 13 games are announced.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,438) |
| Top 25% | $7.6k (exactly $7,583) |
| Top 5% | $342k (exactly $342,222) |
| Developers, 4 yr | 17 |
| Released games | 31 |
| Announced | 13 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 65% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Time Manipulation
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Level Editor, Time Manipulation
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 4 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 2,647 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 13 games are announced against 1 developer who shipped in the last year, ×13 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Level Editor with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Multiple EndingsFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + AutomationLong shot
- + TransportationPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + City BuilderPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
Comparable games
Shadwen 2016 · $535k 
No Plan B 2024 · $342k 
Time Rifters 2014 · $118k 
Soundodger 2 2023 · $111k 
Destructive Physics - Destruction Simulator 2021 · $52k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Shadwen | older | $16.99 | 1,049 77% | 31k | $535k (exactly $534,675) | Frozenbyte |
| | No Plan B | older | $14.99 | 761 86% | 23k | $342k (exactly $342,222) | GFX47 |
| | Time Rifters | older | $9.99 | 395 87% | 12k | $118k (exactly $118,382) | Proton Studio Inc |
| | Soundodger 2 | older | $19.99 | 185 95% | 5.6k | $111k (exactly $110,944) | Studio Bean |
| | Destructive Physics - Destruction Simulator | older | $19.99 | 87 78% | 2.6k | $52k (exactly $52,174) | KreizLand Games |
 | We Are One | older | $9.99 | 75 93% | 2.3k | $22k (exactly $22,478) | Flat Head Studio |
 | Hexahedra | older | $20.00 | 20 100% | 600 | $12k (exactly $12,000) | Sidequest Ninja |
 | ACIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID | older | $9.99 | 38 76% | 1.1k | $11k (exactly $11,389) | deadworld games |
 | Clockwork Rabbit | $10.99 | 23 100% | 690 | $7.6k (exactly $7,583) | OnionMilk | |
 | Posable Heroes | · EA older | $14.99 | 14 92% | 420 | $6.3k (exactly $6,296) | Stochastic Lints |
 | Destructive Contraptions | $7.99 | 6 83% | 180 | $1.4k (exactly $1,438) | Gamergetik | |
 | PHOTOBIA: Tales from the Dark | $4.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | lampersandl | |
 | Paradox: The Breaking of Time | $4.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Adamant Gaming Studios |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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