Do I ship it?

GamesMetroidvaniaMetroidvania + Puzzle Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Puzzle Platformer Metroidvania?

Metroidvania + Puzzle Platformer

Of 91 developers who shipped a Puzzle Platformer Metroidvania 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.. 264 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 $5.3k, ×11 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $960; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×557 the market median. Revenue is up 180% on the market; 264 games are announced against 47 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 11.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 180% on the market, 264 announced, ×5.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Metroidvania + Puzzle Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 91
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $5.0k → $10k → $4.5k → $1.7k → $9.4k → $2.7k (still earning) → $3.0k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Metroidvania + Puzzle Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 91
Bottom 30% $958 (exactly $958)
Median $5.3k (exactly $5,280)
Top 25% $22k (exactly $22,035)
Top 5% $264k (exactly $264,468)
Developers, 2 yr 91
Released games 289
Announced 264
Effort 4 / 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 180% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Metroidvania, Puzzle Platformer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Action, Adventure
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Colorful
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 96% positive over 11,696 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $960, median $5.3k, 1 in 4 over $22k, 1 in 20 over $260k.

3 in 10 developers made under $960. 8 in 10 of the 47 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 264 games are announced against 47 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + ParkourPoor odds8 devs · median $80k · 40 announced
  2. + Online Co-OpPoor odds12 devs · median $74k · 15 announced
  3. + CraftingPoor odds10 devs · median $34k · 61 announced
  4. + SimulationPoor odds16 devs · median $32k · 35 announced
  5. + LovecraftianPoor odds8 devs · median $28k · 29 announced
  6. + CollectathonPoor odds30 devs · median $16k · 78 announced
  7. + Co-opPoor odds17 devs · median $15k · 33 announced
  8. + Survival HorrorPoor odds14 devs · median $14k · 46 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds102 devs · median $14k · 335 announced
  10. + VampiresPoor odds16 devs · median $14k · 29 announced
  11. + Inventory ManagementPoor odds12 devs · median $14k · 42 announced
  12. + JRPGPoor odds16 devs · median $12k · 37 announced

All 90 pairs on the Metroidvania page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
ANIMAL WELL older $24.99 22,814 95% 684k $17M (exactly $17,103,656) Billy Basso
Supraland older $19.99 12,376 95% 371k $7.4M (exactly $7,421,887) Supra Games
FEZ older $9.99 11,663 93% 350k $3.5M (exactly $3,495,401) Polytron Corporation
Reventure older $12.34 8,451 95% 254k $3.1M (exactly $3,128,560) Pixelatto
Haydee older $14.99 6,226 84% 187k $2.8M (exactly $2,799,832) Haydee Interactive
Hob older $19.99 4,667 88% 140k $2.8M (exactly $2,798,800) Runic Games
Iconoclasts older $19.99 4,169 86% 125k $2.5M (exactly $2,500,149) Joakim Sandberg
Supraland Six Inches Under older $19.99 3,975 96% 119k $2.4M (exactly $2,383,808) Supra Games
The Swapper older $14.99 5,065 93% 152k $2.3M (exactly $2,277,730) Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert,… (Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert, Carlo Castellano)
Wuppo: Definitive Edition older $14.99 4,949 94% 148k $2.2M (exactly $2,225,565) snekflat
Öoo $9.99 6,575 99% 197k $2.0M (exactly $1,970,528) NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuy… (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi)
Supraworld · EA $29.99 1,471 91% 44k $1.3M (exactly $1,323,459) Supra Games
Succubus Successor: Delilah's Juicy Journey $14.99 883 90% 26k $397k (exactly $397,085) Ramen Cat Studio, 樹画祭
Metro Gravity $12.99 852 92% 26k $332k (exactly $332,024) mrkogamedev
RUBATO $19.99 441 97% 13k $264k (exactly $264,468) dconn
Pinball Spire $14.99 410 84% 12k $184k (exactly $184,377) Apparition Games
Fallen Tear: The Ascension · EA $24.99 222 81% 6.7k $166k (exactly $166,433) Winter Crew Studios
MotionRec $9.99 430 99% 13k $129k (exactly $128,871) HANDSUM
EMUUROM $12.49 302 90% 9.1k $113k (exactly $113,159) borbware
Goodboy Galaxy $24.99 110 95% 3.3k $82k (exactly $82,467) Goodboy Galaxy Ltd.

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