Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Modern

Of 20 developers who shipped a Modern-Day 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.. 36 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 $540, ×1.1 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $16k, ×35 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 36 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 36 announced, ×4.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $599 → $449 → $20k → $1.6k → $299 → $539 (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $539 (exactly $539)
Top 25% $1.9k (exactly $1,888)
Top 5% $17k (exactly $16,553)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 69
Announced 36
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 down 10% on the market, supply 20% fewer 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.

Puzzle 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
Puzzle Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry 3D Platformer, Exploration, 2D Platformer
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $59.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 1990's, Colorful, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $59.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 89 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 $540, 1 in 4 over $1.8k, 1 in 20 over $16k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. All of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 36 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 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
The Bad Kids older $7.99 577 75% 17k $138k (exactly $138,307) Aluba Van+
OVERPASS™ older $29.99 104 51% 3.1k $94k (exactly $93,569) Zordix Racing
Body Pay older $7.99 157 75% 4.7k $38k (exactly $37,633) Cheese Burger Studio
Angry Penguin older $1.99 328 92% 9.8k $20k (exactly $19,582) PAIN PEPPER
Codename: Terranova $23.99 23 69% 690 $17k (exactly $16,553) ACGames
Funny Business with My Precious Coach (Anipuzzle Series) older $4.99 110 76% 3.3k $16k (exactly $16,467) Almond Collective
Metrico+ older $13.99 28 89% 840 $12k (exactly $11,752) Digital Dreams
Secret Series : BJ older $0.99 193 78% 5.8k $5.7k (exactly $5,732) Momentum Games
Trancelation older $9.99 19 84% 570 $5.7k (exactly $5,694) MythicOwl
Bad cat Sam older $2.99 63 80% 1.9k $5.7k (exactly $5,651) VICTORIA Games
Rolling Ball: HD Remaster $59.99 2 50% 60 $3.6k (exactly $3,599) SUNYU Games
SixteenPetals · EA $6.99 17 47% 510 $3.6k (exactly $3,565) Husky366Studio
The Static · EA $6.99 14 100% 420 $2.9k (exactly $2,936) aFonte Games LLC
Human Parking Simulator $8.99 7 85% 210 $1.9k (exactly $1,888) NewAtlantisGameStudio
[Room Escape] April First $5.00 8 100% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,200) OG-SOFT
DragonMirroreD with Hyoga & Magma $4.49 8 100% 240 $1.1k (exactly $1,078) Hyoga the Juggling Dragon, ジャグリングドラゴンヒョ… (Hyoga the Juggling Dragon, ジャグリングドラゴンヒョウガ)
Book Organizer $5.99 5 80% 150 $898 (exactly $898) KimC
Realization $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Agaze Productions
Maximum Pile-Up! $5.99 3 100% 90 $539 (exactly $539) MAGES. Inc.

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