Games › Platformer › Platformer + Mystery
Should I ship a Mystery Platformer?
Platformer + Mystery
Of 204 developers who shipped a Mystery 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.. 422 more are announced, ×4.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×574 the market median. Revenue is down 35% on the market; 422 games are announced against 98 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $269 (exactly $269) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.1k (exactly $1,078) |
| Top 25% | $8.7k (exactly $8,683) |
| Top 5% | $273k (exactly $272,609) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 204 |
| Released games | 668 |
| Announced | 422 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 35% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Mystery
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Action
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 320,199 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 125 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 422 games are announced against 98 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Dating SimStrong odds
- + PinballStrong odds
- + Combat RacingFair
- + FMVFair
- + SimulationFair
- + Grid-Based MovementFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Turn-Based TacticsLong shot
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + SkateboardingPoor odds
Comparable games
PEAK 2025 · $72M 
ANIMAL WELL 2024 · $17M 
Night in the Woods 2017 · $11M 
Chained Together 2024 · $8.2M 
FEZ 2013 · $3.5M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | PEAK | $7.99 | 301,964 94% | 9.1M | $72M (exactly $72,380,771) | Team PEAK | |
| | ANIMAL WELL | older | $24.99 | 22,814 95% | 684k | $17M (exactly $17,103,656) | Billy Basso |
| | Night in the Woods | older | $19.99 | 17,760 94% | 533k | $11M (exactly $10,650,672) | Infinite Fall |
| | Chained Together | older | $4.99 | 54,747 89% | 1.6M | $8.2M (exactly $8,195,626) | Anegar Games, Lab42 |
| | FEZ | older | $9.99 | 11,663 93% | 350k | $3.5M (exactly $3,495,401) | Polytron Corporation |
 | Creaks | older | $19.99 | 5,323 95% | 160k | $3.2M (exactly $3,192,203) | Amanita Design |
 | The Pedestrian | older | $19.99 | 5,173 96% | 155k | $3.1M (exactly $3,102,248) | Skookum Arts |
 | FAR: Changing Tides | older | $19.99 | 5,077 92% | 152k | $3.0M (exactly $3,044,677) | Okomotive |
 | INMOST | older | $14.99 | 5,928 90% | 178k | $2.7M (exactly $2,665,822) | Hidden Layer Games |
 | MIO: Memories in Orbit | $19.99 | 4,300 83% | 129k | $2.6M (exactly $2,578,710) | Douze Dixièmes | |
 | Öoo | $9.99 | 6,575 99% | 197k | $2.0M (exactly $1,970,528) | NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuy… (NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi) | |
 | Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | $29.99 | 1,507 89% | 45k | $1.4M (exactly $1,355,848) | Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics | |
 | CYAN BRAIN | $14.99 | 1,463 89% | 44k | $658k (exactly $657,911) | NEKOUJI | |
 | BLADECHIMERA | $14.99 | 1,358 88% | 41k | $611k (exactly $610,693) | Team Ladybug, WSS playground | |
 | Planet of Lana II | $19.99 | 875 91% | 26k | $525k (exactly $524,738) | Wishfully | |
 | Bionic Bay | $19.99 | 750 84% | 23k | $450k (exactly $449,775) | Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy | |
 | Gecko Gods | $19.99 | 629 96% | 19k | $377k (exactly $377,211) | Inresin | |
 | Europa | $14.99 | 778 85% | 23k | $350k (exactly $349,867) | Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Novadu… (Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Novadust Entertainment) |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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