Games › Space Sim › Space Sim + Platformer
Should I ship a Platformer Space Sim?
Space Sim + Platformer
Only 9 developers shipped a Platformer Space Sim 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, Planet Lust, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 13 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 6 / 10 build. 6 developers shipped in the last year and 13 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $210 (exactly $210) |
|---|---|
| Median | $300 (exactly $300) |
| Top 25% | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) |
| Top 5% | $151k (exactly $150,650) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 44 |
| Announced | 13 |
| Effort | 6 / 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 up 1340% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 20%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Space Sim
- effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
- Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Space Sim, Platformer
- Price point
- $4.99 typical
Why players buy here
Fewer than 10 games in the last 2 years; sentiment and price figures use the all window.
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 75% positive over 810 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $210. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 13 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Space Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + DestructionFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + Tactical RPGFair
- + WarFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + SportsFair
- + DiplomacyLong shot
- + MilitaryPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Strategy RPGPoor odds
- + SandboxPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Planet Lust | $14.99 | 335 76% | 10k | $151k (exactly $150,650) | Skullgear | |
| | ADIOS Amigos: Galactic Explorers | older | $14.99 | 106 93% | 3.2k | $48k (exactly $47,668) | Cosmic Picnic |
| | Minicology | older | $14.99 | 53 64% | 1.6k | $24k (exactly $23,834) | Isaac Denner |
| | 2D Neon Cube | older | $3.99 | 180 65% | 5.4k | $22k (exactly $21,546) | Laush Dmitriy Sergeevich |
| | Residual | older | $19.99 | 24 66% | 720 | $14k (exactly $14,393) | Orangepixel |
| | Lunar Lander Beyond | older | $29.99 | 14 42% | 420 | $13k (exactly $12,596) | Dreams Uncorporated |
| | Man in gravity | older | $24.99 | 12 91% | 360 | $9.0k (exactly $8,996) | Laush Dmitriy Sergeevich |
| | Moon Crashers | $7.99 | 35 62% | 1.1k | $8.4k (exactly $8,390) | Castello Inc | |
| | Space Hole 2018 | older | $3.99 | 26 96% | 780 | $3.1k (exactly $3,112) | Sam Atlas |
| | Unlanded | older | $3.99 | 25 84% | 750 | $3.0k (exactly $2,992) | Eki-Eki-Eki |
| | SpaceSteps | · EA | $5.99 | 12 100% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | Net Get Games |
| | AirShooShoo | $2.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $359 (exactly $359) | OldMan Inc. | |
| | G-ASTRO | $2.50 | 4 100% | 120 | $300 (exactly $300) | ConnorRMCG | |
| | Sad Virus Space | $2.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $269 (exactly $269) | DIG Games | |
| | Only Up To Space | $6.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $210 (exactly $210) | Mascot Bro Studio, PixelHixel Games | |
| | LIGHT FORCE | $4.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | ShangkoStudio | |
| | 5hit Rocket | $3.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | Beardy Ramblin Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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