Games › Platformer › Platformer + Pirates
Should I ship a Pirate Platformer?
Platformer + Pirates
Only 14 developers shipped a Pirate Platformer 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, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×2.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $810; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×319 the market median. Revenue is up 125% on the market; 18 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $807 (exactly $807) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) |
| Top 25% | $42k (exactly $41,979) |
| Top 5% | $200k (exactly $200,170) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 77 |
| Announced | 18 |
| Effort | 5 / 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 125% 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.
- Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Pirates
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Platformer; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Metroidvania
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Funny
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 736 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $810. 7 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 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
Wavetale 2022 · $2.3M 
Owlboy 2016 · $2.2M 
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse 2015 · $1.1M 
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition 2018 · $811k 
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut 2014 · $364k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Wavetale | older | $29.99 | 2,579 88% | 77k | $2.3M (exactly $2,320,326) | Thunderful Development |
| | Owlboy | older | $19.99 | 3,679 85% | 110k | $2.2M (exactly $2,206,296) | D-Pad Studio |
| | Shantae and the Pirate's Curse | older | $19.99 | 1,843 94% | 55k | $1.1M (exactly $1,105,247) | WayForward |
| | Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition | older | $29.99 | 901 90% | 27k | $811k (exactly $810,630) | WayForward |
| | Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut | older | $9.99 | 1,215 87% | 36k | $364k (exactly $364,136) | WayForward |
 | Flinthook | older | $14.99 | 600 73% | 18k | $270k (exactly $269,820) | Tribute Games Inc. |
 | Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution | $24.99 | 267 85% | 8.0k | $200k (exactly $200,170) | WayForward, Limited Run Games | |
 | Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara | older | $19.99 | 184 90% | 5.5k | $110k (exactly $110,345) | Chibig, Undercoders |
 | Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening | $24.99 | 119 77% | 3.6k | $89k (exactly $89,214) | Magic Pockets | |
 | Only Up ! | older | $6.99 | 216 26% | 6.5k | $45k (exactly $45,295) | WGI GAMING |
 | Cape Hideous | $5.99 | 242 98% | 7.3k | $43k (exactly $43,487) | Jake Clover | |
 | LIFTED | $19.99 | 70 92% | 2.1k | $42k (exactly $41,979) | Adventure Works L.L.C. | |
 | Goldfish | $14.99 | 10 80% | 300 | $4.5k (exactly $4,497) | Gabry Corti | |
 | Pumuckl and the Crown of the Pirate King | $29.99 | 2 50% | 60 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Quantumfrog | |
 | Roxy Raccoon 3: Troubles in Time | $9.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | Sinomod Studios | |
 | Kiana & Biscuit - Pirates on a Visit! | $9.99 | 4 50% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | SpicyFuse | |
 | Only Up 3 | $4.99 | 8 62% | 240 | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) | WGI GAMING | |
 | Pile Up, Pirate! | $2.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $807 (exactly $807) | Red Ridge Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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