Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Runner

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Runner Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Runner

Of 91 developers who shipped a Runner 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.. 77 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $150 in the last 2 years and $180 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 46 developers shipped in the last year and 77 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 77 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Runner
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 91
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $327 → $300 → $449 → $150 → $539 → $120 → $149 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Runner: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 91
Bottom 30% $30 (exactly $30)
Median $150 (exactly $150)
Top 25% $959 (exactly $959)
Top 5% $9.7k (exactly $9,730)
Developers, 2 yr 91
Released games 270
Announced 77
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 10% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Runner
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
Puzzle Platformer, Runner; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Platformer, Action, Adventure
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Funny, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 680 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $150, 1 in 4 over $950, 1 in 20 over $9.7k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. Nearly all of the 51 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 77 games are announced against 46 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Puzzle Platformer with a different second tag, 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
Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst older $19.99 14,078 79% 422k $8.4M (exactly $8,442,577) DICE
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell older $14.99 2,050 95% 62k $922k (exactly $921,885) Pine Studio
Climber Animals: Together older $3.99 6,014 73% 180k $720k (exactly $719,876) Devotion Interactive
DeadCore older $9.99 1,584 85% 48k $475k (exactly $474,725) 5 Bits Games
YEAH! YOU WANT "THOSE GAMES," RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM! older $9.99 1,268 71% 38k $380k (exactly $380,020) MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd.
Seen · EA older $0.99 9,326 91% 280k $277k (exactly $276,982) Seen Games
Wunderling DX older $14.99 119 94% 3.6k $54k (exactly $53,514) Bitwave Games
Joggernauts older $14.99 88 89% 2.6k $40k (exactly $39,574) Space Mace
FALL GIRLS older $6.99 187 49% 5.6k $39k (exactly $39,214) Squid Developer
Stardust Skate $2.99 299 98% 9.0k $27k (exactly $26,820) VchiBan, Aetha
HoloRun $4.99 76 57% 2.3k $11k (exactly $11,377) Pixfox
Steal The Pig $4.99 74 85% 2.2k $11k (exactly $11,078) BAA Games
Memori · EA $14.99 22 95% 660 $9.9k (exactly $9,893) PracticalNPC
Goblintown: Really Hard Driving Game · EA $4.99 65 89% 2.0k $9.7k (exactly $9,730) BiG INC. CO. LLC.
Quack Quack Up $7.99 35 85% 1.1k $8.4k (exactly $8,390) 顽核社 FuncoreClub
2 Bows 1 Arrow $6.99 28 100% 840 $5.9k (exactly $5,872) SKL Games
Lazy Climbers $4.99 35 68% 1.1k $5.2k (exactly $5,240) Cool Car Studio
Zerun: The Tiny Planet $7.99 16 100% 480 $3.8k (exactly $3,835) Mirakar Studio, CINEMAX GAMES
the Shadow of Swallow $3.99 30 76% 900 $3.6k (exactly $3,591) Raine Studio

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