Do I ship it?

Games › Split Screen › Split Screen + Local Multiplayer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Split Screen Local Multiplayer game?

Split Screen + Local Multiplayer

Of 145 developers who shipped a Split Screen Local Multiplayer game 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.. 201 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.1k, ×3.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $400k, ×645 the market median. Revenue is up 10% on the market; 201 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 10% on the market, 201 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Split Screen + Local Multiplayer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 145
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $1.9k → $4.3k → $4.8k → $1.1k → $3.1k → $899 (still earning) → $3.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Split Screen + Local Multiplayer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 145
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $2.1k (exactly $2,098)
Top 25% $9.8k (exactly $9,828)
Top 5% $405k (exactly $404,932)
Developers, 2 yr 145
Released games 583
Announced 201
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 up 10% on the market, supply 45% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Split Screen
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Local Multiplayer
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Split Screen, Local Multiplayer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Action, Local Co-Op
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Colorful, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 96% positive over 138,830 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $2.1k, 1 in 4 over $9.8k, 1 in 20 over $400k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 71 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 201 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Split Screen with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Automobile SimStrong odds25 devs · median $5.5k · 14 announced
  2. + DrivingFair54 devs · median $6.0k · 56 announced
  3. + Immersive SimFair12 devs · median $6.0k · 14 announced
  4. + HorrorFair16 devs · median $4.3k · 18 announced
  5. + SportsFair58 devs · median $4.0k · 52 announced
  6. + RPGFair28 devs · median $450 · 31 announced
  7. + Score AttackLong shot23 devs · median $300 · 24 announced
  8. + CollectathonPoor odds10 devs · median $38k · 16 announced
  9. + Online Co-OpPoor odds30 devs · median $25k · 63 announced
  10. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds15 devs · median $18k · 20 announced
  11. + Open WorldPoor odds20 devs · median $10k · 27 announced
  12. + Tower DefensePoor odds8 devs · median $7.9k · 10 announced

All 84 pairs on the Split Screen page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

It Takes Two 2021 · $262M Split Fiction 2025 · $118M Human Fall Flat 2016 · $105M Wobbly Life 2025 · $25M Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds 2025 · $24M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
It Takes Two older $39.99 218,492 95% 6.6M $262M (exactly $262,124,852) Hazelight Studios
Split Fiction $49.99 78,378 97% 2.4M $118M (exactly $117,543,487) Hazelight Studios
Human Fall Flat older $19.99 174,835 94% 5.2M $105M (exactly $104,848,549) No Brakes Games
Wobbly Life $24.99 33,034 97% 991k $25M (exactly $24,765,590) RubberBandGames
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds $69.99 11,479 93% 344k $24M (exactly $24,102,456) Sonic Team
Serious Sam 3: BFE older $29.99 21,834 87% 655k $20M (exactly $19,644,050) Croteam
Stick Fight: The Game older $4.99 99,952 93% 3.0M $15M (exactly $14,962,814) Landfall West
LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes older $19.99 22,663 95% 680k $14M (exactly $13,591,001) Traveller's Tales
PowerWash Simulator 2 $24.99 10,939 91% 328k $8.2M (exactly $8,200,968) FuturLab
LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame older $19.99 12,850 89% 386k $7.7M (exactly $7,706,145) Traveller's Tales
LEGO® Harry Potter™ Collection $39.99 1,464 82% 44k $1.8M (exactly $1,756,361) TT Games, Double Eleven
Tennis Elbow 4 $29.99 1,077 96% 32k $969k (exactly $968,977) Mana Games
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged · EA $29.99 1,043 91% 31k $938k (exactly $938,387) Pixel Edge Games
MotoGP™25 $49.99 592 74% 18k $888k (exactly $887,822) Milestone S.r.l.
MotoGP™26 $59.99 225 64% 6.8k $405k (exactly $404,932) Milestone S.r.l.
Victory Heat Rally $19.99 599 88% 18k $359k (exactly $359,220) Skydevilpalm

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