Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Post-apocalyptic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Post-apocalyptic

Of 38 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic Puzzle 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.. 102 more are announced, ×4.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.0k, ×3.2 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $33k, ×54 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 102 games are announced against 22 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 102 announced, ×4.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Post-apocalyptic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 38
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $713 → $449 → $719 → $2.7k → $1.1k → $12k (still earning) → $599 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Post-apocalyptic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 38
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $2.0k (exactly $2,035)
Top 25% $9.6k (exactly $9,590)
Top 5% $34k (exactly $33,866)
Developers, 2 yr 38
Released games 140
Announced 102
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 35% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Post-apocalyptic
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, Platformer
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Dark, Side Scroller
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 70% positive over 1,275 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $2.0k, 1 in 4 over $9.5k, 1 in 20 over $33k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 102 games are announced against 22 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Puzzle Platformer with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + RomanceFair41 devs · median $1.5k · 38 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  3. + Life SimFair20 devs · median $657 · 21 announced
  4. + SimulationFair216 devs · median $479 · 181 announced
  5. + Grid-Based MovementFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced
  6. + SokobanFair51 devs · median $358 · 49 announced
  7. + LovecraftianPoor odds11 devs · median $9.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds26 devs · median $9.0k · 53 announced
  9. + MetroidvaniaPoor odds91 devs · median $5.3k · 264 announced
  10. + SwordplayPoor odds8 devs · median $4.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Split ScreenPoor odds24 devs · median $3.6k · 35 announced
  12. + Hack and SlashPoor odds18 devs · median $3.0k · 80 announced

All 169 pairs on the Puzzle Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Talos Principle 2 older $29.99 12,478 94% 374k $11M (exactly $11,226,457) Croteam
FAR: Lone Sails older $14.99 24,474 95% 734k $11M (exactly $11,005,958) Okomotive
Chained Together older $4.99 54,747 89% 1.6M $8.2M (exactly $8,195,626) Anegar Games, Lab42
FAR: Changing Tides older $19.99 5,077 92% 152k $3.0M (exactly $3,044,677) Okomotive
Deliver Us Mars older $29.99 2,271 74% 68k $2.0M (exactly $2,043,219) KeokeN Interactive
The Entropy Centre older $19.99 3,359 89% 101k $2.0M (exactly $2,014,392) Stubby Games
HAAK older $17.99 3,149 89% 94k $1.7M (exactly $1,699,515) Blingame
UNSIGHTED older $19.99 1,863 93% 56k $1.1M (exactly $1,117,241) Studio Pixel Punk
Lifeless Planet Premier Edition older $9.99 2,529 78% 76k $758k (exactly $757,941) Serenity Forge
The Upturned older $9.99 2,482 99% 74k $744k (exactly $743,855) Zeekerss
1348 Ex Voto $24.99 705 53% 21k $529k (exactly $528,538) Sedleo
Alruna and the Necro-Industrialists $9.99 113 84% 3.4k $34k (exactly $33,866) Neckbolt
Ultimate Drummer $5.99 170 98% 5.1k $31k (exactly $30,549) Cool 3D World
Parking Together! $9.99 88 95% 2.6k $26k (exactly $26,374) ENGAWA GAMES
Antro $14.99 42 92% 1.3k $19k (exactly $18,887) Gatera Studio
Lost in Tandem $14.99 39 84% 1.2k $18k (exactly $17,538) Tempete Studio
Mai: Child of Ages $14.99 34 88% 1.0k $15k (exactly $15,290) Chubby Pixel
Rumbral $12.99 30 76% 900 $12k (exactly $11,691) OSEA Innovations
Memori · EA $14.99 22 95% 660 $9.9k (exactly $9,893) PracticalNPC
Smack Monkey $9.99 32 100% 960 $9.6k (exactly $9,590) DrDrub

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