Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Time Attack

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Attack Platformer?

Platformer + Time Attack

Of 51 developers who shipped a Time Attack 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.. 70 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $630, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $67k, ×142 the market median. Revenue is down 50% on the market; 70 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 70 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Time Attack
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 51
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $4.5k → $4.0k → $742 → $628 → $2.3k → $3.0k (still earning) → $90 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Time Attack: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 51
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $628 (exactly $628)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,997)
Top 5% $67k (exactly $67,455)
Developers, 2 yr 51
Released games 191
Announced 70
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 50% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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
Time Attack
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, Time Attack; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Precision Platformer, 3D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Difficult, Stylized
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 88% positive over 1,375 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $630, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $67k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. Nearly all of the 27 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 70 games are announced against 30 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
Mirror's Edge™ older $19.99 31,195 87% 936k $19M (exactly $18,707,642) DICE
Super Meat Boy older $14.99 30,031 93% 901k $14M (exactly $13,504,941) Team Meat
Hot Lava older $19.99 5,335 92% 160k $3.2M (exactly $3,199,399) Klei Entertainment
Cyber Hook older $14.99 3,102 95% 93k $1.4M (exactly $1,394,969) Blazing Stick
Penny’s Big Breakaway older $29.99 1,062 79% 32k $955k (exactly $955,481) Evening Star
Marble It Up! Ultra older $29.99 1,060 93% 32k $954k (exactly $953,682) Blueteak, The Engine Company, Shapes an… (Blueteak, The Engine Company, Shapes and Lines, Arcturus Interactive, The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild)
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom older $16.99 1,621 97% 49k $826k (exactly $826,224) Panik Arcade
Super Meat Boy 3D $24.99 828 87% 25k $621k (exactly $620,752) Sluggerfly, Team Meat
EDGE older $6.99 1,826 92% 55k $383k (exactly $382,912) Two Tribes
Dustforce DX older $9.99 1,214 93% 36k $364k (exactly $363,836) Hitbox Team
SNOW BROS. 2 SPECIAL $34.99 80 70% 2.4k $84k (exactly $83,976) CRT GAMES
Hoverflow $14.99 150 93% 4.5k $67k (exactly $67,455) Simon In Motion
Abyss Runner $6.99 105 86% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,018) Asuwawagami
Ballest of Them All · EA $5.99 110 97% 3.3k $20k (exactly $19,767) Low5ive, Action Jackson
Gravity Storm: First Mission $9.99 27 100% 810 $8.1k (exactly $8,092) Jampley Games
Raccoon Roller $14.99 16 100% 480 $7.2k (exactly $7,195) Ribcat Games
Ticking Together $4.99 37 97% 1.1k $5.5k (exactly $5,539) Furkan Baytak, Furkan Özkaya
Marble Champions $14.99 9 66% 270 $4.0k (exactly $4,047) Luc Versleijen, Neonchimp Games
Three Bulky Bears $9.99 13 100% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) Storytime Games

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