Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Artificial Intelligence

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an AI Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Artificial Intelligence

Of 55 developers who shipped an AI Hidden Object 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.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $180. Revenue is up 465% on the market; 49 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 465% on the market, 49 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Artificial Intelligence
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 55
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $836 → $450 → $683 → $716 → $359 → $475 (still earning) → $3.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Artificial Intelligence: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 55
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $7.2k (exactly $7,186)
Top 5% $134k (exactly $133,532)
Developers, 2 yr 55
Released games 210
Announced 49
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $2.99

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 465% on the market, supply 90% more 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.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
Artificial Intelligence
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
Hidden Object; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Simulation, Adventure
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Relaxing, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 28,464 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 64 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 49 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Hidden Object with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  2. + Level EditorFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair46 devs · median $3.5k · 41 announced
  4. + CatsFair128 devs · median $1.5k · 160 announced
  5. + DogsFair35 devs · median $1.5k · 18 announced
  6. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  8. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  9. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  10. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  12. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 announced

All 188 pairs on the Hidden Object page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! $5.99 24,497 94% 735k $4.4M (exactly $4,402,111) ArtRising
Sort Them Ducks $5.99 1,461 92% 44k $263k (exactly $262,542) Mr.Duck
Rumu older $9.99 530 89% 16k $159k (exactly $158,841) Robot House
Cellar Keeper $4.99 892 89% 27k $134k (exactly $133,532) EgoTrampoline
Space Accident VR $16.99 231 82% 6.9k $118k (exactly $117,741) VR-WRG
Family Mysteries 2: Echoes of Tomorrow older $14.99 153 74% 4.6k $69k (exactly $68,804) Brave Giant LTD
Megastore: Tidy Up Together $5.99 326 91% 9.8k $59k (exactly $58,582) Yolo Games Studio
[Chilla's Art] The Ghost Train | 幽霊列車 older $2.99 627 78% 19k $56k (exactly $56,242) Chilla's Art
Dofamine VR $9.99 173 82% 5.2k $52k (exactly $51,848) VR-WRG
Deduce Together $5.99 217 68% 6.5k $39k (exactly $38,995) PushForward
60 Minutes to Extinction: Escape Room $7.99 153 82% 4.6k $37k (exactly $36,674) mc2games
SCRIBBLE HUNT $3.99 302 81% 9.1k $36k (exactly $36,149) SCRIBBLE BUNNY
Toy Keeper · EA $4.99 212 67% 6.4k $32k (exactly $31,736) Pocket Collector

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