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Should I ship a Cat Building game?
Building + Cats
Of 52 developers who shipped a Cat Building game 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.. 59 more are announced.
Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $4.5k, ×7.2 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $900. Revenue is flat on the market; 59 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $899 (exactly $899) |
|---|---|
| Median | $4.5k (exactly $4,496) |
| Top 25% | $25k (exactly $24,875) |
| Top 5% | $666k (exactly $665,734) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 52 |
| Released games | 106 |
| Announced | 59 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Building; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Life Sim, Sandbox
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
- Art
- 7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Relaxing, Cozy
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 34,157 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 7 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 59 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Building with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + TabletopFair
- + Grid-Based MovementFair
- + Interactive FictionFair
- + Vehicular CombatPoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + Real-TimePoor odds
- + CrimePoor odds
- + SailingPoor odds
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
Comparable games
| Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | inZOI | · EA | $39.99 | 30,020 77% | 901k | $36M (exactly $36,014,994) | inZOI Studio |
| | while True: learn() | older | $12.99 | 7,350 91% | 221k | $2.9M (exactly $2,864,295) | Luden.io |
| | Animal Shelter | older | $19.99 | 3,642 87% | 109k | $2.2M (exactly $2,184,107) | Games Incubator |
| | STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town | older | $39.99 | 1,357 82% | 41k | $1.6M (exactly $1,627,993) | Marvelous Inc. |
| | Cat Cafe Manager | older | $19.99 | 2,174 87% | 65k | $1.3M (exactly $1,303,748) | Roost Games |
| | Calico | older | $11.99 | 3,238 88% | 97k | $1.2M (exactly $1,164,709) | Peachy Keen Games |
| | Minami Lane | older | $4.99 | 6,089 97% | 183k | $912k (exactly $911,523) | Blibloop, Doot |
| | Bookshop Simulator | $15.99 | 1,496 92% | 45k | $718k (exactly $717,631) | Blep Games | |
| | Snacko | $24.99 | 888 95% | 27k | $666k (exactly $665,734) | Bluecurse Studios | |
| | Everdream Valley | older | $24.99 | 708 70% | 21k | $531k (exactly $530,788) | Mooneaters |
| | Learning Factory | $14.99 | 390 84% | 12k | $175k (exactly $175,383) | Luden.io | |
| | Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage | · EA | $14.99 | 315 93% | 9.5k | $142k (exactly $141,656) | Unbossed Games |
| | Catizens | $17.77 | 214 81% | 6.4k | $114k (exactly $114,083) | badopticsgames | |
| | Desk Paws | $5.99 | 463 86% | 14k | $83k (exactly $83,201) | GinkgoGames | |
| | Everdream Village | · EA | $19.99 | 107 69% | 3.2k | $64k (exactly $64,168) | Mooneaters |
| | MilkTea Time | $11.99 | 114 82% | 3.4k | $41k (exactly $41,006) | 星九猫游戏-StarNineCat Games | |
| | Puzzling Places - 3D Jigsaw Sim | $7.99 | 150 98% | 4.5k | $36k (exactly $35,955) | Realities.io Inc |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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