Do I ship it?

Games › Building › Building + Shop Keeper

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Building Shop Keeper?

Building + Shop Keeper

Of 140 developers who shipped a Building Shop Keeper 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.. 209 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $16k, ×25 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $710k, ×1143 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 209 games are announced against 113 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 25.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 209 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Building + Shop Keeper
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 140
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $273k → $177k → $58k → $9.4k → $6.6k (still earning) → $14k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Building + Shop Keeper: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 140
Bottom 30% $1.6k (exactly $1,648)
Median $16k (exactly $15,912)
Top 25% $89k (exactly $89,311)
Top 5% $718k (exactly $717,631)
Developers, 2 yr 140
Released games 167
Announced 209
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 70% on the market, supply 305% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Building
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Shop Keeper
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Building, Shop Keeper; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Management, Economy
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Relaxing, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 36,665 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.7k, median $16k, 1 in 4 over $89k, 1 in 20 over $710k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.7k. 5 in 10 of the 31 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 209 games are announced against 113 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds66 devs · median $28k · 70 announced
  2. + CatsFair52 devs · median $4.5k · 59 announced
  3. + TabletopFair56 devs · median $1.9k · 58 announced
  4. + Grid-Based MovementFair50 devs · median $719 · 57 announced
  5. + Interactive FictionFair17 devs · median $449 · 20 announced
  6. + Vehicular CombatPoor odds14 devs · median $303k · 40 announced
  7. + JRPGPoor odds10 devs · median $89k · 20 announced
  8. + Dating SimPoor odds28 devs · median $85k · 61 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds112 devs · median $71k · 251 announced
  10. + Real-TimePoor odds14 devs · median $62k · 20 announced
  11. + CrimePoor odds13 devs · median $55k · 52 announced
  12. + SailingPoor odds13 devs · median $52k · 40 announced

All 210 pairs on the Building page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator 2026 · $6.0M ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs 2026 · $5.5M King of Retail 2022 · $2.3M Tavern Manager Simulator 🍻 2024 · $1.8M Roadside Research 2026 · EA · $1.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator $19.90 10,118 95% 304k $6.0M (exactly $6,040,446) Blood Pact Studios
ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs $19.99 9,209 95% 276k $5.5M (exactly $5,522,637) Mandragora
King of Retail older $25.99 2,982 88% 89k $2.3M (exactly $2,325,065) Freaking Games
Tavern Manager Simulator 🍻 older $14.99 4,018 91% 121k $1.8M (exactly $1,806,895) One More Time
Roadside Research · EA $14.99 3,991 85% 120k $1.8M (exactly $1,794,753) Cybernetic Walrus
Saleblazers · EA older $29.99 1,974 78% 59k $1.8M (exactly $1,776,008) AIRSTRAFE INTERACTIVE
Discounty $19.99 2,322 82% 70k $1.4M (exactly $1,392,503) Crinkle Cut Games
Cat Cafe Manager older $19.99 2,174 87% 65k $1.3M (exactly $1,303,748) Roost Games
Teddy's Haven · EA $14.99 2,800 95% 84k $1.3M (exactly $1,259,160) Teddy Bear Games LLC
Another Brick in The Mall older $16.99 2,340 83% 70k $1.2M (exactly $1,192,698) The Quadsphere
Megastore Simulator · EA $13.99 1,968 93% 59k $826k (exactly $825,970) Yolo Games Studio
Bookshop Simulator $15.99 1,496 92% 45k $718k (exactly $717,631) Blep Games
Leafy Corner $9.99 2,319 96% 70k $695k (exactly $695,004) Fireline Games
Boba Cafe Simulator $15.99 1,192 92% 36k $572k (exactly $571,802) Caikemi
The Last Gas Station $13.99 1,250 87% 38k $525k (exactly $524,625) Alawar

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