Do I ship it?

Games › Platformer › Platformer + Runner

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Runner Platformer?

Platformer + Runner

Of 364 developers who shipped a Runner 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.. 359 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $240 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 185 developers shipped in the last year and 359 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 359 announced, ×1.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Runner
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 364
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $449 → $449 → $299 → $239 → $358 → $239 → $150 (still earning) → $60 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Runner: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 364
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $180 (exactly $180)
Top 25% $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Top 5% $11k (exactly $11,078)
Developers, 2 yr 364
Released games 1,220
Announced 359
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Runner
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Platformer, Runner; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, 3D Platformer, Adventure
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Colorful, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 20,006 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 $180, 1 in 4 over $1.0k, 1 in 20 over $11k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 231 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 359 games are announced against 185 developers who shipped in the last year.

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

Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst 2020 · $8.4M Haste 2025 · $7.6M Melody's Escape 2016 · $1.3M STRIDE 2022 · $1.2M Phantom Abyss 2024 · $1.2M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst older $19.99 14,078 79% 422k $8.4M (exactly $8,442,577) DICE
Haste $19.99 12,690 92% 381k $7.6M (exactly $7,610,193) Landfall
Melody's Escape older $9.99 4,336 92% 130k $1.3M (exactly $1,299,499) Icetesy
STRIDE older $19.99 1,975 79% 59k $1.2M (exactly $1,184,408) Joy Way
Phantom Abyss older $19.99 1,962 81% 59k $1.2M (exactly $1,176,611) Team WIBY
Soda Crisis older $10.99 2,915 93% 87k $961k (exactly $961,076) Team Soda
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell older $14.99 2,050 95% 62k $922k (exactly $921,885) Pine Studio
ALTF4 older $2.99 9,452 80% 284k $848k (exactly $847,844) PUMPKIM
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien older $14.99 1,630 93% 49k $733k (exactly $733,011) Gaijin Games
Climber Animals: Together older $3.99 6,014 73% 180k $720k (exactly $719,876) Devotion Interactive
VHOLUME $8.00 2,992 97% 90k $718k (exactly $718,080) Nathan Grange, Léonard Lemaitre, Niels… (Nathan Grange, Léonard Lemaitre, Niels Tiercelin)
Bloodthief $19.99 1,017 95% 31k $610k (exactly $609,895) Blargis
Bionic Bay $19.99 750 84% 23k $450k (exactly $449,775) Psychoflow Studio, Mureena Oy
Nitro Express $12.99 1,069 75% 32k $417k (exactly $416,589) Grayfax Software
CONERU -DIMENSION GIRL- $19.99 263 96% 7.9k $158k (exactly $157,721) HIKE Inc., Eallin Japan Co.Ltd.
Melody's Escape 2 $14.99 284 95% 8.5k $128k (exactly $127,715) Icetesy
GuGu Pizza : Delivering Pizza to the Space Station? Boss, this is just not right! $6.99 517 87% 16k $108k (exactly $108,415) AnomalyGuys
Rocket Boots Mania $14.99 229 99% 6.9k $103k (exactly $102,981) Luma Play
Ikarus Parkour $12.99 195 81% 5.9k $76k (exactly $75,992) Vanja Aleksić

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