Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Rhythm

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Rhythm Platformer?

Platformer + Rhythm

Of 62 developers who shipped a Rhythm 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.. 81 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 36 developers shipped in the last year and 81 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 81 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Rhythm
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 62
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $660 → $1.2k → $1.2k → $1.9k → $359 → $59 → $599 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Rhythm: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 62
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $356 (exactly $356)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,525)
Top 5% $31k (exactly $30,549)
Developers, 2 yr 62
Released games 211
Announced 81
Effort 3 / 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 flat on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Rhythm
effort 3 / 10 · medium · audio sync, timing precision and music rights

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Platformer, Rhythm; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 2D Platformer, Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Hand-drawn
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 1,109 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $360, 1 in 4 over $1.5k, 1 in 20 over $30k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. Nearly all of the 34 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 81 games are announced against 36 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Platformer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds19 devs · median $3.0k · 15 announced
  2. + PinballStrong odds10 devs · median $2.5k · 6 announced
  3. + Combat RacingFair28 devs · median $899 · 38 announced
  4. + FMVFair9 devs · median $899 · 10 announced
  5. + SimulationFair281 devs · median $628 · 235 announced
  6. + Grid-Based MovementFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  7. + AutomationFair13 devs · median $449 · 16 announced
  8. + Turn-Based TacticsLong shot15 devs · median $360 · 18 announced
  9. + LGBTQ+Poor odds42 devs · median $7.2k · 90 announced
  10. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds32 devs · median $6.5k · 90 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds14 devs · median $5.8k · 38 announced
  12. + SkateboardingPoor odds14 devs · median $4.8k · 23 announced

All 206 pairs on the Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Geometry Dash older $4.99 595,606 93% 18M $89M (exactly $89,162,218) RobTop Games
Hi-Fi RUSH older $29.99 27,454 97% 824k $25M (exactly $24,700,364) Tango Gameworks
Wandersong older $19.99 2,185 96% 66k $1.3M (exactly $1,310,344) Wishes Ultd., Greg Lobanov, A Shell in… (Wishes Ultd., Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit)
Melody's Escape older $9.99 4,336 92% 130k $1.3M (exactly $1,299,499) Icetesy
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien older $14.99 1,630 93% 49k $733k (exactly $733,011) Gaijin Games
Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story™ older $9.99 2,238 79% 67k $671k (exactly $670,729) Choice Provisions
Electronic Super Joy older $7.99 2,471 89% 74k $592k (exactly $592,299) Michael Todd Games
BIT.TRIP RUNNER older $9.99 1,828 86% 55k $548k (exactly $547,852) Gaijin Games, Choice Provisions
One Hand Clapping older $14.99 877 84% 26k $394k (exactly $394,387) Bad Dream Games
140 older $4.99 2,054 94% 62k $307k (exactly $307,484) Carlsen Games
Melody's Escape 2 $14.99 284 95% 8.5k $128k (exactly $127,715) Icetesy
Nientum - Op.ZERO · EA $19.99 159 98% 4.8k $95k (exactly $95,352) QueseraGames
CYBERMATRIX $12.00 127 89% 3.8k $46k (exactly $45,720) Tim Murich
Ultimate Drummer $5.99 170 98% 5.1k $31k (exactly $30,549) Cool 3D World
ION Shift $5.99 140 90% 4.2k $25k (exactly $25,158) Electro Soul Games
Antro $14.99 42 92% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Gatera Studio
Lunars · EA $14.99 40 97% 1.2k $18k (exactly $17,988) Anubis Arts
DGGWare $8.99 66 93% 2.0k $18k (exactly $17,800) Silkworm
The Shaman's Ark $9.99 47 97% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,086) Amortiz Games
Soulbound Roguelike $9.99 34 82% 1.0k $10k (exactly $10,190) DuDu Games

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