Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Thriller

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Thriller Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Thriller

Of 52 developers who shipped a Thriller 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $58k, ×123 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Thriller
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 52
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $898 → $478 → $1.3k → $1.1k → $1.4k → $718 (still earning) → $1.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Thriller: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 52
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Top 25% $6.5k (exactly $6,472)
Top 5% $58k (exactly $58,277)
Developers, 2 yr 52
Released games 130
Announced 67
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 55% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Thriller
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; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 1,703 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $6.4k, 1 in 20 over $58k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 32 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 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
Little Nightmares II older $29.99 50,280 92% 1.5M $45M (exactly $45,236,916) Tarsier Studios
Superliminal older $19.99 28,428 94% 853k $17M (exactly $17,048,272) Pillow Castle
Firework older $9.99 41,172 97% 1.2M $12M (exactly $12,339,248) Shiying Studio
INMOST older $14.99 5,928 90% 178k $2.7M (exactly $2,665,822) Hidden Layer Games
DARQ: Complete Edition older $19.99 3,575 94% 107k $2.1M (exactly $2,143,928) Unfold Games
Deliver Us Mars older $29.99 2,271 74% 68k $2.0M (exactly $2,043,219) KeokeN Interactive
Lifeless Planet Premier Edition older $9.99 2,529 78% 76k $758k (exactly $757,941) Serenity Forge
Paper Bride older $7.99 2,030 91% 61k $487k (exactly $486,591) HeartBeat Plus
Creepy Tale older $4.99 2,378 87% 71k $356k (exactly $355,987) Creepy Brothers
Paper Bride 2 Zangling Village older $9.99 1,010 91% 30k $303k (exactly $302,697) HeartBeat Plus
Paper Bride 6 Nightmare $9.99 369 81% 11k $111k (exactly $110,589) HeartBeat Plus
Moving Houses $13.99 232 72% 7.0k $97k (exactly $97,370) Gordon Little
Paper Bride 7 Lethal Bond $9.99 218 92% 6.5k $65k (exactly $65,335) HeartBeat Plus
Inferno Protocol · EA $13.49 144 79% 4.3k $58k (exactly $58,277) Tektonic Interactive
Rubbings $9.99 183 87% 5.5k $55k (exactly $54,845) 午夜说书人
DEVIL'S WAY $4.99 208 45% 6.2k $31k (exactly $31,138) Rose Game Studio
Split Brain $5.99 164 92% 4.9k $29k (exactly $29,471) Kusa Games
Locks $11.99 50 78% 1.5k $18k (exactly $17,985) Carel
禁地直播 $4.99 109 88% 3.3k $16k (exactly $16,317) Say Hi Hi
Kejora $17.99 26 76% 780 $14k (exactly $14,032) Berangin Creative

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