Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Space

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Space Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Space

Of 82 developers who shipped a Space 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.. 122 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 43 developers shipped in the last year and 122 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 60% on the market, 122 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Space
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 82
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $327 → $3.5k → $239 → $839 → $180 → $299 → $299 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Space: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 82
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $299 (exactly $299)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,468)
Top 5% $8.4k (exactly $8,383)
Developers, 2 yr 82
Released games 317
Announced 122
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 60% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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
Space
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; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Platformer, 2D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, 3D
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 94% positive over 657 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $300, 1 in 4 over $1.4k, 1 in 20 over $8.3k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. Nearly all of the 50 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 122 games are announced against 43 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 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
OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition older $24.99 8,722 96% 262k $6.5M (exactly $6,538,883) SIGONO INC.
COCOON older $24.99 7,961 94% 239k $6.0M (exactly $5,968,362) Geometric Interactive
The Swapper older $14.99 5,065 93% 152k $2.3M (exactly $2,277,730) Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert,… (Olli Harjola, Otto Hantula, Tom Jubert, Carlo Castellano)
Heavenly Bodies older $19.99 3,741 95% 112k $2.2M (exactly $2,243,478) 2pt Interactive
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
Out There Somewhere older $9.99 6,160 92% 185k $1.8M (exactly $1,846,152) MiniBoss
Genesis Noir older $14.99 1,694 79% 51k $762k (exactly $761,792) Feral Cat Den
Q.U.B.E. 2 older $24.99 1,015 84% 30k $761k (exactly $760,946) Toxic Games
Lifeless Planet Premier Edition older $9.99 2,529 78% 76k $758k (exactly $757,941) Serenity Forge
Goodboy Galaxy $24.99 110 95% 3.3k $82k (exactly $82,467) Goodboy Galaxy Ltd.
The Art of Reflection $17.99 151 97% 4.5k $81k (exactly $81,495) Hydrozoa
Stardust Demon $19.99 77 83% 2.3k $46k (exactly $46,177) resnijars
SECTOR ZERO $3.99 138 93% 4.1k $17k (exactly $16,519) Ondrej Angelovic
Dubio $4.99 56 94% 1.7k $8.4k (exactly $8,383) AJ Kolenc, Richard Boeser
Gravity Storm: First Mission $9.99 27 100% 810 $8.1k (exactly $8,092) Jampley Games
Bunny Space Odyssey: FlopHop $4.99 51 98% 1.5k $7.6k (exactly $7,635) AinkOink
Invertigo $14.99 15 100% 450 $6.7k (exactly $6,746) Wednesday Works Games
Alien Cat Story $8.99 21 100% 630 $5.7k (exactly $5,664) HugePixel
That Time I Got Abducted by KYONYUU ALIENS $12.99 11 72% 330 $4.3k (exactly $4,287) Dieselmine

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