Do I ship it?

GamesSouls-likeSouls-like + Puzzle Platformer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Puzzle Platformer Souls-like?

Souls-like + Puzzle Platformer

Of 22 developers who shipped a Puzzle Platformer Souls-like 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.. 49 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×0.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $390; 1 in 20 cleared $160k, ×111 the market median. Revenue is up 740% on the market; 49 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 740% on the market, 49 announced, ×4.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Souls-like + Puzzle Platformer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $449 → $1.2k → $896 → $600 → $60 → $3.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Souls-like + Puzzle Platformer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $390 (exactly $390)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Top 25% $8.9k (exactly $8,869)
Top 5% $166k (exactly $166,433)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 79
Announced 49
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 up 740% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Souls-like
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Souls-like, Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Hack and Slash
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Atmospheric
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 90% positive over 5,058 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $390, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $8.8k, 1 in 20 over $160k.

3 in 10 developers made under $390. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 49 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds17 devs · median $34k · 8 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair13 devs · median $22k · 17 announced
  4. + JRPGFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  6. + PsychologicalFair17 devs · median $1.8k · 17 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerLong shot49 devs · median $776 · 46 announced
  9. + Score AttackLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  10. + WarPoor odds8 devs · median $451k · 22 announced
  11. + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds12 devs · median $88k · 21 announced
  12. + RomancePoor odds10 devs · median $35k · 16 announced

All 122 pairs on the Souls-like page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
PICO PARK older $4.99 23,751 91% 713k $3.6M (exactly $3,555,525) TECOPARK
Aeterna Noctis older $29.99 1,699 76% 51k $1.5M (exactly $1,528,590) Aeternum Game Studios S.L
UNSIGHTED older $19.99 1,863 93% 56k $1.1M (exactly $1,117,241) Studio Pixel Punk
La-Mulana 2 older $24.99 818 83% 25k $613k (exactly $613,255) NIGORO
Fever Meme $4.20 4,358 91% 131k $549k (exactly $549,108) Aimbok
Fallen Tear: The Ascension · EA $24.99 222 81% 6.7k $166k (exactly $166,433) Winter Crew Studios
Ancient Abyss · EA older $14.99 163 64% 4.9k $73k (exactly $73,301) Screambox Studio
Reflection of Mine older $8.99 189 75% 5.7k $51k (exactly $50,973) Redblack Spade
GIGASWORD $14.99 108 75% 3.2k $49k (exactly $48,568) Studio Hybrid
Driving Is Hard $6.99 200 79% 6.0k $42k (exactly $41,940) Elegant Horse Studios
Mai: Child of Ages $14.99 34 88% 1.0k $15k (exactly $15,290) Chubby Pixel
Who Takes The Crown? $7.99 37 83% 1.1k $8.9k (exactly $8,869) devthedoug
Koloboke: Sickness Simulator $4.99 56 91% 1.7k $8.4k (exactly $8,383) Megame LLC
ASHGARD: Infinity Mask · EA $9.99 13 84% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) ASHGARD GAMES
Crown Of Silence · EA $7.99 14 100% 420 $3.4k (exactly $3,356) Nyro Interactive
Fart King $2.99 16 100% 480 $1.4k (exactly $1,435) SmoochGM

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