Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Magic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Magic Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Magic

Of 83 developers who shipped a Magic Puzzle 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.. 196 more are announced, ×5.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×330 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 196 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 196 announced, ×5.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Magic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 83
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.8k → $4.7k → $598 → $2.5k → $899 → $449 → $299 (still earning) → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Magic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 83
Bottom 30% $210 (exactly $210)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $3.8k (exactly $3,835)
Top 5% $157k (exactly $156,548)
Developers, 2 yr 83
Released games 324
Announced 196
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 55% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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.

Puzzle 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
Puzzle Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Puzzle, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 7,516 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $210, median $600, 1 in 4 over $3.8k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $210. 9 in 10 of the 60 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 196 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Puzzle Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RomanceFair41 devs · median $1.5k · 38 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  3. + Life SimFair20 devs · median $657 · 21 announced
  4. + SimulationFair216 devs · median $479 · 181 announced
  5. + Grid-Based MovementFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced
  6. + SokobanFair51 devs · median $358 · 49 announced
  7. + LovecraftianPoor odds11 devs · median $9.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds26 devs · median $9.0k · 53 announced
  9. + MetroidvaniaPoor odds91 devs · median $5.3k · 264 announced
  10. + SwordplayPoor odds8 devs · median $4.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Split ScreenPoor odds24 devs · median $3.6k · 35 announced
  12. + Hack and SlashPoor odds18 devs · median $3.0k · 80 announced

All 169 pairs on the Puzzle 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
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
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered $29.99 3,042 90% 91k $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition $39.99 1,484 78% 45k $1.8M (exactly $1,780,355) Myrkur Games
Dungeons of Hinterberg older $22.99 2,403 93% 72k $1.7M (exactly $1,657,349) Microbird Games
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed $39.99 1,275 93% 38k $1.5M (exactly $1,529,618) Purple Lamp
Omno older $18.99 1,846 91% 55k $1.1M (exactly $1,051,666) Studio Inkyfox
Spirit of the North 2 $29.99 934 85% 28k $840k (exactly $840,320) Infuse Studio
The Smurfs – Dreams $29.99 174 92% 5.2k $157k (exactly $156,548) Ocellus Studio
Cursed Armor 2 $15.99 236 84% 7.1k $113k (exactly $113,209) wolfgame
Magic Tiny Lands $29.99 86 90% 2.6k $77k (exactly $77,374) Galactic Geckon
Inkwellers $9.99 136 88% 4.1k $41k (exactly $40,759) ScrumptiousSprouts sp. z o.o.
Runa & the Chaikurú Legacy $14.99 48 87% 1.4k $22k (exactly $21,586) Fanny Pack Studios
Shadow Alchemist $3.99 101 96% 3.0k $12k (exactly $12,090) PostHuman Interactive

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