Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + LGBTQ+

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an LGBTQ+ Platformer?

Platformer + LGBTQ+

Of 42 developers who shipped an LGBTQ+ 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.. 90 more are announced, ×4.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $7.2k, ×15 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.9k; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×574 the market median. Revenue is up 40% on the market; 90 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 15.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 40% on the market, 90 announced, ×4.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + LGBTQ+
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 42
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $42k → $1.3k → $3.1k → $61k → $3.9k → $20k → $11k (still earning) → $2.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + LGBTQ+: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 42
Bottom 30% $2.9k (exactly $2,878)
Median $7.2k (exactly $7,196)
Top 25% $35k (exactly $35,065)
Top 5% $273k (exactly $272,609)
Developers, 2 yr 42
Released games 137
Announced 90
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 40% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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
LGBTQ+
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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
Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 3D Platformer, Exploration
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, 3D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 17,162 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.9k, median $7.2k, 1 in 4 over $35k, 1 in 20 over $270k.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.9k. 7 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 90 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Platformer with a different setting or mood, 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. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds32 devs · median $6.5k · 90 announced
  10. + JRPGPoor odds14 devs · median $5.8k · 38 announced
  11. + SkateboardingPoor odds14 devs · median $4.8k · 23 announced
  12. + DragonsPoor odds24 devs · median $4.8k · 46 announced

All 206 pairs on the Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Celeste older $19.99 132,072 97% 4.0M $79M (exactly $79,203,578) Maddy Makes Games Inc., Extremely OK Ga… (Maddy Makes Games Inc., Extremely OK Games, Ltd.)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle $69.99 13,058 89% 392k $27M (exactly $27,417,883) MachineGames
Psychonauts 2 older $59.99 12,333 95% 370k $22M (exactly $22,195,700) Double Fine Productions
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown older $29.99 6,754 84% 203k $6.1M (exactly $6,076,574) Ubisoft Montpellier
Timespinner older $19.99 2,823 86% 85k $1.7M (exactly $1,692,953) Lunar Ray Games
Indivisible older $19.99 2,458 72% 74k $1.5M (exactly $1,474,063) Lab Zero Games
Wandersong older $19.99 2,185 96% 66k $1.3M (exactly $1,310,344) Wishes Ultd., Greg Lobanov, A Shell in… (Wishes Ultd., Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit)
UNSIGHTED older $19.99 1,863 93% 56k $1.1M (exactly $1,117,241) Studio Pixel Punk
The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories older $29.99 1,196 87% 36k $1.1M (exactly $1,076,041) White Owls Inc.
Here Comes Niko! older $24.99 1,050 92% 32k $787k (exactly $787,185) Frog Vibes
Funi Raccoon Game $11.99 1,683 99% 50k $605k (exactly $605,375) Crayon, Kit
Aphelion $29.99 303 63% 9.1k $273k (exactly $272,609) DON'T NOD
PEPPERED: an existential platformer $14.99 603 96% 18k $271k (exactly $271,169) Mostly Games
Possessor(s) $9.99 718 75% 22k $215k (exactly $215,185) Heart Machine
Nakara $9.99 310 91% 9.3k $93k (exactly $92,907) R3dspike
Misc. A Tiny Tale $19.99 112 99% 3.4k $67k (exactly $67,166) Tinyware Games
CODE Bunny $9.99 143 93% 4.3k $43k (exactly $42,857) Team Seventh Star
Jumping Jazz Cats $8.99 148 74% 4.4k $40k (exactly $39,916) Le Catnip Collective
Dungeon Gals $14.99 84 100% 2.5k $38k (exactly $37,775) DoricDream

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