Games › Music-Based Procedural Generation › Music-Based Procedural Generation + Puzzle
Should I ship a Music-Based Procedural Generation Puzzle game?
Music-Based Procedural Generation + Puzzle
Only 12 developers shipped a Music-Based Procedural Generation Puzzle game 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, Enigma of Fear, 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, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $2.7M, ×5768 the market median. Revenue is up 95% on the market; 20 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
not enough cohorts to draw
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.3k (exactly $1,319) |
| Top 25% | $13k (exactly $12,860) |
| Top 5% | $2.7M (exactly $2,739,586) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 45 |
| Announced | 20 |
| 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 95% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 4%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Music-Based Procedural Generation
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Puzzle
- effort 2 / 10 · high · discrete rules, levels are data
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Music-Based Procedural Generation, Puzzle
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 95% positive over 3,278 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 20 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Music-Based Procedural Generation with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Character CustomizationFair
- + FantasyFair
- + MusicFair
- + RhythmLong shot
- + Level EditorPoor odds
- + AdventurePoor odds
- + Female ProtagonistPoor odds
- + ExplorationPoor odds
- + PlatformerPoor odds
- + RoguelikePoor odds
- + PhysicsPoor odds
- + Action RoguelikePoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Melatonin | older | $14.99 | 7,554 94% | 227k | $3.4M (exactly $3,397,034) | Half Asleep |
| | Enigma of Fear | $29.99 | 3,045 95% | 91k | $2.7M (exactly $2,739,586) | Dumativa, Cellbit | |
| | AudioSurf | older | $9.99 | 8,901 95% | 267k | $2.7M (exactly $2,667,630) | Dylan Fitterer |
| | Audiosurf 2 | older | $14.99 | 5,364 82% | 161k | $2.4M (exactly $2,412,191) | Dylan Fitterer |
| | LUMINES REMASTERED | older | $14.99 | 707 95% | 21k | $318k (exactly $317,938) | Resonair |
| | Rytmos | older | $14.99 | 89 79% | 2.7k | $40k (exactly $40,023) | Floppy Club |
| | Ultimate Drummer | $5.99 | 170 98% | 5.1k | $31k (exactly $30,549) | Cool 3D World | |
| | Colorful Recolor | older | $9.99 | 84 91% | 2.5k | $25k (exactly $25,175) | Gagonfe, HugoBDesigner, Ulon |
| | Oxytone | older | $6.99 | 119 93% | 3.6k | $25k (exactly $24,954) | OxGames |
| | Expand | older | $5.99 | 119 91% | 3.6k | $21k (exactly $21,384) | Chris Johnson, Chris Larkin |
| | Cadence | $12.99 | 33 100% | 990 | $13k (exactly $12,860) | Made With Monster Love | |
| | BeatChip '95 | $6.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $2.1k (exactly $2,097) | Jack The Robot Games | |
| | Motel Nightmares | $8.99 | 6 33% | 180 | $1.6k (exactly $1,618) | KOZARI | |
| | The Cascadier | · EA | $10.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $1.3k (exactly $1,319) | Enchanted Arcade |
| | Aster Symphona | $9.99 | 4 25% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | Double Barreled Herald | |
| | Paper 2 - Origami Refolded | $9.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $899 (exactly $899) | Bryce Summer | |
| | Triangles | $9.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $300 (exactly $300) | DETUNE LTD | |
| | T-Drum | $4.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | LV Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.