Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Magic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Magic Platformer?

Platformer + Magic

Of 206 developers who shipped a Magic 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.. 445 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $190k, ×410 the market median. Revenue is up 25% on the market; 445 games are announced against 110 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 25% on the market, 445 announced, ×4.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Magic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 206
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $478 → $629 → $1.4k → $2.4k → $420 → $899 → $629 (still earning) → $360 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Magic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 206
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $897 (exactly $897)
Top 25% $4.2k (exactly $4,196)
Top 5% $195k (exactly $194,902)
Developers, 2 yr 206
Released games 711
Announced 445
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 25% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Magic
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, 2D Platformer
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 11,579 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $900, 1 in 4 over $4.1k, 1 in 20 over $190k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 121 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 445 games are announced against 110 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 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. + 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince older $29.99 11,712 88% 351k $11M (exactly $10,537,286) Frozenbyte
Trine 2: Complete Story older $19.99 15,273 95% 458k $9.2M (exactly $9,159,218) Frozenbyte
Rabi-Ribi older $17.99 10,768 95% 323k $5.8M (exactly $5,811,490) CreSpirit, GemaYue
Trine Enchanted Edition older $14.99 12,843 95% 385k $5.8M (exactly $5,775,497) Frozenbyte
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power older $21.99 7,301 63% 219k $4.8M (exactly $4,816,470) Frozenbyte
Astral Ascent older $24.99 5,408 94% 162k $4.1M (exactly $4,054,378) Hibernian Workshop
Eastern Exorcist older $17.99 6,099 84% 183k $3.3M (exactly $3,291,630) Wildfire Game(无锡野火数字科技有限公司)
TEVI older $29.99 3,580 88% 107k $3.2M (exactly $3,220,926) CreSpirit, GemaYue, Ein Lee
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight older $9.99 10,502 93% 315k $3.1M (exactly $3,147,449) Bombservice
Pseudoregalia older $5.99 16,978 96% 509k $3.1M (exactly $3,050,947) rittzler
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered $29.99 3,042 90% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed $39.99 1,275 93% 38k $1.5M (exactly $1,529,618) Purple Lamp
Planet Centauri $14.99 2,102 75% 63k $945k (exactly $945,269) Permadeath
Little Big Adventure – Twinsen’s Quest $29.99 725 89% 22k $652k (exactly $652,282) [2.21]
Ambidextro $7.99 1,334 98% 40k $320k (exactly $319,760) Majorariatto
Mama's Sleeping Angels $9.99 1,040 93% 31k $312k (exactly $311,688) itamu
Nikoderiko: The Magical World — Director’s Cut $29.99 345 82% 10k $310k (exactly $310,396) VEA Games
Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse $16.99 543 72% 16k $277k (exactly $276,767) Frontside 180
Shattered Divinities $9.99 906 94% 27k $272k (exactly $271,528) 星魂游戏
Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution $24.99 267 85% 8.0k $200k (exactly $200,170) WayForward, Limited Run Games

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