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Should I ship an Animal Idler?
Idler + Animals
Of 44 developers who shipped an Animal Idler 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.. 104 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $450, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $27k, ×58 the market median. Momentum is unreadable here, too few recent games; 104 games are announced against 43 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $449 (exactly $449) |
| Top 25% | $6.6k (exactly $6,587) |
| Top 5% | $28k (exactly $27,651) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 44 |
| Released games | 56 |
| Announced | 104 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 too few recent games to read momentum, supply 4200% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Idler; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Desktop Companion, Creature Collector
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
- Art
- 7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, Cute, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 1,101 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 104 games are announced against 43 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + Hack and SlashFair
- + DrivingFair
- + LootFair
- + FPSFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Dynamic NarrationFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + SwordplayFair
Comparable games
Chillquarium 2023 · $1.4M 
Plantera 2: Golden Acorn 2023 · $178k 
Moose Miners 2024 · $155k 
Seclusa 2026 · $58k 
War Tortoise 2024 · $53k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Chillquarium | older | $5.99 | 7,780 92% | 233k | $1.4M (exactly $1,398,066) | Ben Reber |
| | Plantera 2: Golden Acorn | older | $4.99 | 1,191 93% | 36k | $178k (exactly $178,293) | VaragtP |
| | Moose Miners | older | $9.99 | 518 69% | 16k | $155k (exactly $155,245) | Lingon Studios |
| | Seclusa | $12.99 | 148 97% | 4.4k | $58k (exactly $57,676) | Studio Niente | |
| | War Tortoise | older | $12.99 | 137 79% | 4.1k | $53k (exactly $53,389) | Foursaken Media |
 | Meow Palace: Forbidden City | · EA | $5.99 | 247 90% | 7.4k | $44k (exactly $44,386) | 宫喵家族 |
 | Little Aviary | $3.99 | 231 86% | 6.9k | $28k (exactly $27,651) | atomco | |
 | Ribbit Ranch | $5.99 | 111 98% | 3.3k | $20k (exactly $19,947) | Jack McAllister | |
 | Push Push | $4.99 | 111 97% | 3.3k | $17k (exactly $16,617) | 1ceAgain | |
 | Petunia's Purgatory | $6.99 | 69 98% | 2.1k | $14k (exactly $14,469) | Dead Possum Games | |
 | Cafe Cafe: Idle Bird Collector | $4.99 | 65 92% | 2.0k | $9.7k (exactly $9,730) | CHONKSOFT | |
 | Cozy Mining | $6.99 | 38 76% | 1.1k | $8.0k (exactly $7,969) | tatsumaki games | |
 | Dino Market | $4.99 | 51 94% | 1.5k | $7.6k (exactly $7,635) | Fuz Games | |
 | Plump! Dumb Frog Pond | $7.99 | 30 96% | 900 | $7.2k (exactly $7,191) | FHNBHJ |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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