Games › Platformer › Platformer + Steampunk
Should I ship a Steampunk Platformer?
Platformer + Steampunk
Of 22 developers who shipped a Steampunk 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.. 59 more are announced, ×4.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $4.0k, ×6.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $34k, ×55 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 59 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $4.0k (exactly $3,984) |
| Top 25% | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) |
| Top 5% | $35k (exactly $34,627) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 22 |
| Released games | 90 |
| Announced | 59 |
| 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 down 55% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, 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
- Steampunk
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Platformer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, 2D Platformer
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Hand-drawn
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 406 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 59 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.9 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
FAR: Lone Sails 2018 · $11M 
SteamWorld Dig 2 2017 · $3.4M 
TEVI 2023 · $3.2M 
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch 2021 · $3.2M 
SteamWorld Dig 2013 · $2.0M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | FAR: Lone Sails | older | $14.99 | 24,474 95% | 734k | $11M (exactly $11,005,958) | Okomotive |
| | SteamWorld Dig 2 | older | $19.99 | 5,700 95% | 171k | $3.4M (exactly $3,418,290) | Image & Form Games |
| | TEVI | older | $29.99 | 3,580 88% | 107k | $3.2M (exactly $3,220,926) | CreSpirit, GemaYue, Ein Lee |
| | F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch | older | $15.99 | 6,660 86% | 200k | $3.2M (exactly $3,194,802) | TiGames |
| | SteamWorld Dig | older | $9.99 | 6,509 94% | 195k | $2.0M (exactly $1,950,747) | Image & Form Games |
 | Contrast | older | $9.99 | 4,548 90% | 136k | $1.4M (exactly $1,363,036) | Compulsion Games |
 | Gestalt: Steam & Cinder | older | $19.99 | 1,850 79% | 56k | $1.1M (exactly $1,109,445) | Metamorphosis Games |
 | Forgotton Anne | older | $19.99 | 1,646 89% | 49k | $987k (exactly $987,106) | Throughline Games |
 | Teslagrad | older | $9.99 | 1,709 83% | 51k | $512k (exactly $512,187) | Rain Games |
 | Gunbrella | older | $14.99 | 920 85% | 28k | $414k (exactly $413,724) | doinksoft |
 | Clockwork Ambrosia | $19.99 | 133 84% | 4.0k | $80k (exactly $79,760) | Realmsoft | |
 | Last Vanguard | $14.99 | 77 81% | 2.3k | $35k (exactly $34,627) | Cool Tapir Studios | |
 | Sacre Bleu | $14.99 | 46 82% | 1.4k | $21k (exactly $20,686) | Hildring Studio Inc | |
 | Power Sink | $14.99 | 26 96% | 780 | $12k (exactly $11,692) | Winterwire Games | |
 | Vex Clock | $14.99 | 24 95% | 720 | $11k (exactly $10,793) | Dave Microwaves Games | |
 | StellaGale: The Trials Of Faith | · EA | $9.99 | 29 96% | 870 | $8.7k (exactly $8,691) | Extra Life Entertainment, Vifth Floor |
 | LURRUNA - The Island of Towering Automatons | $9.99 | 25 100% | 750 | $7.5k (exactly $7,492) | PD_CGT | |
 | Knuckle Jet | $14.99 | 13 92% | 390 | $5.8k (exactly $5,846) | Rain Games | |
 | Death Machine | $9.99 | 15 46% | 450 | $4.5k (exactly $4,496) | Philip Froelich | |
 | Dinopunk: the Cacops adventure | $7.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $4.3k (exactly $4,315) | The Dude Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.