Games › Platformer › Platformer + Superhero
Should I ship a Superhero Platformer?
Platformer + Superhero
Of 24 developers who shipped a Superhero 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.. 32 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 13 developers shipped in the last year and 32 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $120 (exactly $120) |
|---|---|
| Median | $359 (exactly $359) |
| Top 25% | $3.4k (exactly $3,352) |
| Top 5% | $25k (exactly $25,192) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 24 |
| Released games | 80 |
| Announced | 32 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 15% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Superhero
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, 2D Platformer
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 1990's, Cartoony
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 232 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $120. All of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 32 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 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
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes | older | $19.99 | 22,663 95% | 680k | $14M (exactly $13,591,001) | Traveller's Tales |
| | SpeedRunners | older | $14.99 | 22,842 94% | 685k | $10M (exactly $10,272,047) | DoubleDutch Games |
| | Gravity Circuit | older | $16.99 | 3,028 94% | 91k | $1.5M (exactly $1,543,372) | Domesticated Ant Games |
| | Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure | older | $19.99 | 1,941 80% | 58k | $1.2M (exactly $1,164,018) | 5th Cell Media |
| | Batman™: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition | older | $19.99 | 1,682 44% | 50k | $1.0M (exactly $1,008,695) | Armature Studio, LLC |
| | Amazing Frog? 2 | · EA older | $19.99 | 726 77% | 22k | $435k (exactly $435,382) | Fayju |
| | Sunblaze | older | $14.99 | 322 90% | 9.7k | $145k (exactly $144,803) | Games From Earth |
| | Smelter | older | $19.99 | 165 64% | 5.0k | $99k (exactly $98,950) | X PLUS Co., Ltd. |
| | MARVEL MaXimum Collection | $24.99 | 111 76% | 3.3k | $83k (exactly $83,217) | Limited Run Games | |
| | Supercow | older | $7.99 | 183 97% | 5.5k | $44k (exactly $43,865) | Nevosoft |
| | Dog Man: Mission Impawsible | $29.99 | 28 96% | 840 | $25k (exactly $25,192) | Floor 84 Studio | |
| | Rabbiman Adventures | $14.99 | 21 100% | 630 | $9.4k (exactly $9,444) | ISRACHEM LTD | |
| | Basureroes: Invasion | $11.99 | 14 100% | 420 | $5.0k (exactly $5,036) | Javs Game Studios | |
| | Ninja Five-O | $24.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $3.7k (exactly $3,748) | Limited Run Games, Inc. | |
| | Kokoro Clover SUN - Prehistoric Invaders! | $3.99 | 28 100% | 840 | $3.4k (exactly $3,352) | ひこてる | |
| | SantaCorps 4 | $4.99 | 9 88% | 270 | $1.3k (exactly $1,347) | Virtuoso Neomedia | |
| | Raanaa - The Shaman Girl | $12.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $1.2k (exactly $1,169) | Miksapix Interactive, Red Stage Enterta… (Miksapix Interactive, Red Stage Entertainment) | |
| | Witchy Tower | $2.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $897 (exactly $897) | Changefairy | |
| | Outer Space Bar | $8.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $809 (exactly $809) | OZNA STUDIO |
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.