Do I ship it?

GamesPlatformerPlatformer + Twin Stick Shooter

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Twin Stick Shooter Platformer?

Platformer + Twin Stick Shooter

Of 26 developers who shipped a Twin Stick Shooter 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.. 42 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $59; 1 in 20 cleared $25k, ×54 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 42 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.5 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 42 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Twin Stick Shooter
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 26
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.5k → $5.1k → $1.2k → $2.0k → $1.2k → $2.9k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Twin Stick Shooter: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 26
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,166)
Top 25% $3.4k (exactly $3,356)
Top 5% $26k (exactly $25,720)
Developers, 2 yr 26
Released games 96
Announced 42
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 40% on the market, supply 90% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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
Twin Stick Shooter
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, Twin Stick Shooter; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Combat
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cartoony, Comedy, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 842 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 $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $3.3k, 1 in 20 over $25k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 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
ROUNDS older $5.99 35,738 95% 1.1M $6.4M (exactly $6,422,119) Landfall
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef older $19.99 2,586 87% 78k $1.6M (exactly $1,550,824) Rogueside
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light older $9.99 3,566 92% 107k $1.1M (exactly $1,068,730) Crystal Dynamics
Rusted Moss older $19.99 1,575 88% 47k $945k (exactly $944,527) Emlise, happysquared, sunnydaze
LARA CROFT AND THE TEMPLE OF OSIRIS™ older $19.99 1,262 68% 38k $757k (exactly $756,821) Crystal Dynamics
Rogue Stormers older $19.99 649 65% 19k $389k (exactly $389,205) Black Forest Games
BioGun older $19.99 488 87% 15k $293k (exactly $292,654) Dapper Dog Digital
The Mobius Machine older $19.99 442 82% 13k $265k (exactly $265,067) Madruga Works
RIVE older $14.99 468 83% 14k $210k (exactly $210,460) Two Tribes
God's Trigger older $14.99 441 72% 13k $198k (exactly $198,318) One More Level
Shotgun Cop Man $9.99 633 96% 19k $190k (exactly $189,710) DeadToast Entertainment
Gunboat God $12.99 66 90% 2.0k $26k (exactly $25,720) Janson RAD
Rose and Locket $11.99 54 92% 1.6k $19k (exactly $19,424) Whistling Wizard
Avian Knights $14.99 14 100% 420 $6.3k (exactly $6,296) Alan-1, Inc.
Piss Off · EA $20.00 8 100% 240 $4.8k (exactly $4,800) Emmanuel Crispi
HeadHunters $9.99 12 100% 360 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Sumalab
GAT RAT $7.99 14 100% 420 $3.4k (exactly $3,356) Dark Snow Games
Ricochet Raven · EA $7.99 12 91% 360 $2.9k (exactly $2,876) Kaosrio
Blast Hopper $5.99 12 66% 360 $2.2k (exactly $2,156) Heartscape Games
Hirai Nya $3.99 17 94% 510 $2.0k (exactly $2,035) FirePillar2

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