Games › Runner › Runner + Music
Should I ship a Music Runner?
Runner + Music
Only 16 developers shipped a Music Runner in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Melody's Escape 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×269 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 20 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $537 (exactly $537) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 25% | $13k (exactly $13,486) |
| Top 5% | $128k (exactly $127,715) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 77 |
| Announced | 20 |
| 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 75% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Runner; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Rhythm, Action, Combat
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Colorful, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 568 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LootFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + FPSLong shot
- + 4 Player LocalPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Interactive FictionPoor odds
- + ManagementPoor odds
Comparable games
Ghostrunner 2 2023 · $9.6M 
Melody's Escape 2016 · $1.3M 
Retrowave 2022 · $1.2M 
Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story™ 2021 · $671k 
BIT.TRIP RUNNER 2011 · $548k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ghostrunner 2 | older | $39.99 | 7,981 80% | 239k | $9.6M (exactly $9,574,806) | One More Level |
| | Melody's Escape | older | $9.99 | 4,336 92% | 130k | $1.3M (exactly $1,299,499) | Icetesy |
| | Retrowave | older | $2.99 | 13,742 96% | 412k | $1.2M (exactly $1,232,657) | RewindApp |
| | Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story™ | older | $9.99 | 2,238 79% | 67k | $671k (exactly $670,729) | Choice Provisions |
| | BIT.TRIP RUNNER | older | $9.99 | 1,828 86% | 55k | $548k (exactly $547,852) | Gaijin Games, Choice Provisions |
 | Neon Drive | older | $9.99 | 1,664 86% | 50k | $499k (exactly $498,701) | Fraoula, Spiky Crumb |
 | Razortron 2000 | older | $4.99 | 3,045 86% | 91k | $456k (exactly $455,836) | NukGames |
 | Neodash | older | $15.99 | 481 90% | 14k | $231k (exactly $230,736) | Axan Gray |
 | Music Racer | older | $1.99 | 3,332 87% | 100k | $199k (exactly $198,920) | AbstractArt |
 | Runner3 | older | $19.99 | 261 75% | 7.8k | $157k (exactly $156,522) | Choice Provisions |
 | Melody's Escape 2 | $14.99 | 284 95% | 8.5k | $128k (exactly $127,715) | Icetesy | |
 | Fresh Tracks | $24.99 | 53 94% | 1.6k | $40k (exactly $39,734) | Buffalo Buffalo | |
 | Nebula Flow | $17.99 | 37 97% | 1.1k | $20k (exactly $19,969) | After Nap Games | |
 | RHYTHMKILL | $9.99 | 45 82% | 1.4k | $13k (exactly $13,486) | GETTAKE | |
 | Synthwave Driver | · EA | $2.99 | 107 86% | 3.2k | $9.6k (exactly $9,598) | Runebox Studios |
 | The Oneironaut | $14.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $5.8k (exactly $5,846) | Jetebra Games | |
 | Ella Stars | $4.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | SUSUSOFT | |
 | MetroLand | $4.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | Kiloo | |
 | Synthwave Tunnel | · EA | $4.99 | 7 85% | 210 | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) | Hard Shark Games |
 | Rhythm Racer | · EA | $8.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $809 (exactly $809) | Elusive Byte |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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