Games › Open World › Open World + Animals
Should I ship an Animal Open World game?
Open World + Animals
Only 18 developers shipped an Animal Open World game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 55 more are announced, ×4.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $5.7k, ×3.8 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $750; 1 in 20 cleared $10M, ×6914 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 55 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $750 (exactly $750) |
|---|---|
| Median | $5.7k (exactly $5,689) |
| Top 25% | $69k (exactly $68,703) |
| Top 5% | $10M (exactly $10,356,447) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 53 |
| Announced | 55 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $11.99 |
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 95% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Open World
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Animals
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Open World; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Life Sim
- Price point
- $11.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Family Friendly, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.
The top 10 games average 95% positive over 12,989 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $750. 3 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 55 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Open World with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + 4 Player LocalFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TrainsFair
- + FMVFair
- + GothicFair
- + MarsFair
- + TanksFair
- + FaithLong shot
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
Comparable games
Planet Zoo 2019 · $110M 
Ranch Simulator: Build, Hunt, Farm 2023 · $31M 
WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition 2025 · $10M 
Prehistoric Kingdom 2022 · EA · $5.1M 
Ghost of a Tale 2018 · $2.5M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Planet Zoo | older | $44.99 | 81,191 90% | 2.4M | $110M (exactly $109,583,493) | Frontier Developments |
| | Ranch Simulator: Build, Hunt, Farm | older | $24.99 | 40,862 79% | 1.2M | $31M (exactly $30,634,241) | Toxic Dog |
| | WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition | $29.99 | 11,511 97% | 345k | $10M (exactly $10,356,447) | eduweb | |
| | Prehistoric Kingdom | · EA older | $29.99 | 5,640 90% | 169k | $5.1M (exactly $5,074,308) | Blue Meridian |
| | Ghost of a Tale | older | $19.99 | 4,214 91% | 126k | $2.5M (exactly $2,527,136) | SeithCG |
 | Let's Build a Zoo | older | $19.99 | 3,722 89% | 112k | $2.2M (exactly $2,232,083) | Springloaded |
 | The First Tree | older | $9.99 | 4,763 77% | 143k | $1.4M (exactly $1,427,471) | David Wehle |
 | Islets | older | $19.99 | 1,831 95% | 55k | $1.1M (exactly $1,098,051) | Kyle Thompson |
 | Meadow - A Shelter Game | older | $6.99 | 5,060 90% | 152k | $1.1M (exactly $1,061,082) | Might and Delight |
 | Cattails | Become a Cat! | older | $14.99 | 2,315 95% | 69k | $1.0M (exactly $1,041,056) | Falcon Development |
 | The Ranchers | · EA | $24.99 | 547 57% | 16k | $410k (exactly $410,086) | The Ranchers |
 | Zefyr: A Thief's Melody | $19.99 | 401 96% | 12k | $240k (exactly $240,480) | Oneiric Worlds | |
 | Virtual Hunter | $24.99 | 173 71% | 5.2k | $130k (exactly $129,698) | Korpi Games Oy | |
 | Heroes of the Seven Islands | $11.99 | 191 100% | 5.7k | $69k (exactly $68,703) | Rap2h | |
 | Mazey Village | · EA | $14.99 | 32 87% | 960 | $14k (exactly $14,390) | Slappy Inc. |
 | Moose Diver | $4.99 | 48 83% | 1.4k | $7.2k (exactly $7,186) | Lingon Studios | |
 | No Stone Unturned | · EA | $11.99 | 18 100% | 540 | $6.5k (exactly $6,475) | Wise Monkey Entertainment Ltd. |
 | The Lost Mixtape | $4.99 | 38 97% | 1.1k | $5.7k (exactly $5,689) | Vided Studio | |
 | Go Kart Island | $4.99 | 30 96% | 900 | $4.5k (exactly $4,491) | Grumpy Pizza |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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