Do I ship it?

Games › Platformer › Platformer + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Platformer?

Platformer + Modern

Of 35 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 70 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 17 developers shipped in the last year and 70 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 70 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 35
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $180 → $1.4k → $1.8k → $2.9k → $150 → $898 → $239 (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 35
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $299 (exactly $299)
Top 25% $3.1k (exactly $3,144)
Top 5% $17k (exactly $16,766)
Developers, 2 yr 35
Released games 119
Announced 70
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 40% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Modern
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; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, 2D Platformer, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 2,363 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $300, 1 in 4 over $3.1k, 1 in 20 over $16k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 70 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 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

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo 2025 · $1.2M Tomb Raider: Legend 2007 · $1.1M Lucky's Tale 2021 · $44k Mr. Run and Jump 2023 · $34k Elsie 2024 · $25k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo $19.99 1,993 97% 60k $1.2M (exactly $1,195,202) Pocket Trap
Tomb Raider: Legend older $6.99 5,430 87% 163k $1.1M (exactly $1,138,671) Crystal Dynamics
Lucky's Tale older $19.99 73 89% 2.2k $44k (exactly $43,778) Playful Corp.
Mr. Run and Jump older $24.99 45 95% 1.4k $34k (exactly $33,736) Graphite Lab, Heavy Horse Games
Elsie older $19.99 41 70% 1.2k $25k (exactly $24,588) Knight Shift Games
Angry Penguin older $1.99 328 92% 9.8k $20k (exactly $19,582) PAIN PEPPER
Puppet Team $4.99 112 64% 3.4k $17k (exactly $16,766) Editmode
Star Rift Saga $14.99 31 96% 930 $14k (exactly $13,941) Studio Vela LLC
LOST EGG older $2.99 153 80% 4.6k $14k (exactly $13,724) KIMIDORI SOFT
Metrico+ older $13.99 28 89% 840 $12k (exactly $11,752) Digital Dreams
Irbet Tong $6.99 56 100% 1.7k $12k (exactly $11,743) Kyhynngy Oyuur
AI Faith: Compute [>_AIFC] $4.99 55 81% 1.7k $8.2k (exactly $8,234) Beneloop.ai
血姬：双生 (Vampiress: Eternal Duet) $9.99 24 58% 720 $7.2k (exactly $7,193) 织界者 (Realm Weaver Studio)
hoptix $7.99 23 100% 690 $5.5k (exactly $5,513) Cat Burglar Games
Cursed Broom $9.99 15 86% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Cursed Creations
ULTRA VERTIGO $4.99 21 100% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) TEAGHER STUDIO
LOST EGG the Hard Boiled $2.99 33 42% 990 $3.0k (exactly $2,960) KIMIDORI SOFT

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