Do I ship it?

GamesBoard GameBoard Game + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Board Game Hidden Object?

Board Game + Hidden Object

Of 27 developers who shipped a Board Game 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.. 18 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $450 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $120 for a 2 / 10 build. 16 developers shipped in the last year and 18 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 18 announced, ×1.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Board Game + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 27
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.2k → $958 → $358 → $1.9k → $208 → $478 → $1.6k (still earning) → $179 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Board Game + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 27
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $2.3k (exactly $2,269)
Top 5% $75k (exactly $75,282)
Developers, 2 yr 27
Released games 187
Announced 18
Effort 2 / 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 down 55% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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.

Board Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Board Game, Hidden Object; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Strategy, Co-op
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Family Friendly, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 1,948 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 $450, 1 in 4 over $2.2k, 1 in 20 over $75k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Board Game with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Party-Based RPGFair24 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  2. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair30 devs · median $6.7k · 33 announced
  3. + JRPGFair13 devs · median $2.5k · 7 announced
  4. + Local Co-OpFair35 devs · median $2.4k · 41 announced
  5. + Female ProtagonistFair35 devs · median $2.4k · 35 announced
  6. + HistoricalFair60 devs · median $1.3k · 81 announced
  7. + LGBTQ+Fair8 devs · median $1.2k · 5 announced
  8. + SpaceFair28 devs · median $1.2k · 27 announced
  9. + Alternate HistoryFair20 devs · median $1.2k · 21 announced
  10. + MahjongFair28 devs · median $1.1k · 21 announced
  11. + Party GameFair72 devs · median $899 · 98 announced
  12. + DragonsFair15 devs · median $838 · 15 announced

All 152 pairs on the Board Game page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Legend of Fancy Realm Remake $24.99 897 86% 27k $672k (exactly $672,481) USERJOY Technology Co.,Ltd.
Mahjong World Contest (麻将) older $14.99 193 88% 5.8k $87k (exactly $86,792) Creobit
Pic-Me! $6.99 359 83% 11k $75k (exactly $75,282) GoofGames
How 2 Escape: Lost Submarine $12.99 161 83% 4.8k $63k (exactly $62,742) Breakfirst Games
Deduce Together $5.99 217 68% 6.5k $39k (exactly $38,995) PushForward
Spider Roulette $4.99 143 91% 4.3k $21k (exactly $21,407) Kud
Lateral Thinking Together · EA $5.99 85 43% 2.6k $15k (exactly $15,274) PushForward
Island Cities - Jigsaw Puzzle older $1.99 214 95% 6.4k $13k (exactly $12,776) Mens Sana Interactive
Instant Farmer - Logic Puzzle older $1.99 160 91% 4.8k $9.6k (exactly $9,552) Mens Sana Interactive
Buddy and Lucky Solitaire older $2.99 97 82% 2.9k $8.7k (exactly $8,701) Mens Sana Interactive
Minesweeper $3.99 26 84% 780 $3.1k (exactly $3,112) Popoko VM Games
Coloring Cats: Sports With Friends $1.99 38 97% 1.1k $2.3k (exactly $2,269) Mens Sana Interactive
Dimensional Warrior $6.99 9 88% 270 $1.9k (exactly $1,887) Uroboros Studio
Shapes of Memory: Jigsaw Puzzle $3.99 13 100% 390 $1.6k (exactly $1,556) Creative Hand, Abyssal Studios

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