Do I ship it?

GamesCookingCooking + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Cooking game?

Cooking + Cats

Of 25 developers who shipped a Cat Cooking 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.. 63 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $750, ×1.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $350k, ×755 the market median. Revenue is up 220% on the market; 63 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 220% on the market, 63 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Cooking + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $69k → $1.5k → $5.4k → $4.8k → $599 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Cooking + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $748 (exactly $748)
Top 25% $11k (exactly $10,789)
Top 5% $359k (exactly $358,621)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 49
Announced 63
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 220% on the market, supply 155% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Cooking
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Cats
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 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
Cooking; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Crafting, Management
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Colorful, Cozy
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 2,863 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $750, 1 in 4 over $10k, 1 in 20 over $350k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 6 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 63 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorFair54 devs · median $14k · 68 announced
  2. + DogsFair12 devs · median $8.1k · 12 announced
  3. + Turn-Based CombatFair15 devs · median $6.0k · 22 announced
  4. + Point & ClickFair68 devs · median $1.8k · 79 announced
  5. + LogicFair27 devs · median $1.6k · 26 announced
  6. + Score AttackFair28 devs · median $1.4k · 30 announced
  7. + Hidden ObjectFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced
  8. + PuzzleFair77 devs · median $958 · 92 announced
  9. + Artificial IntelligencePoor odds15 devs · median $73k · 10 announced
  10. + JRPGPoor odds13 devs · median $34k · 25 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds16 devs · median $30k · 32 announced
  12. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds12 devs · median $26k · 23 announced

All 95 pairs on the Cooking page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
STORY OF SEASONS: Pioneers of Olive Town older $39.99 1,357 82% 41k $1.6M (exactly $1,627,993) Marvelous Inc.
Critter Cove · EA older $24.99 1,735 94% 52k $1.3M (exactly $1,300,730) Gentleman Rat Studios
Kemono Teatime $12.99 1,617 95% 49k $630k (exactly $630,145) Studio Lalala, Kotoneiro, WHO YOU
Everdream Valley older $24.99 708 70% 21k $531k (exactly $530,788) Mooneaters
Beastro $19.99 598 92% 18k $359k (exactly $358,621) Timberline Studio
I got a millenary cat older $6.99 685 85% 21k $144k (exactly $143,644) CatBellUnion
Abra-Cooking-Dabra $12.99 250 75% 7.5k $97k (exactly $97,425) Door 407
Pekoe · EA older $17.99 128 82% 3.8k $69k (exactly $69,082) Kitten Cup Studio
Everdream Village · EA $19.99 107 69% 3.2k $64k (exactly $64,168) Mooneaters
Homestead Arcana older $19.99 98 66% 2.9k $59k (exactly $58,771) Serenity Forge
MilkTea Time $11.99 114 82% 3.4k $41k (exactly $41,006) 星九猫游戏-StarNineCat Games
Supurr Cat Cafe: Sandwich Rush $5.99 104 100% 3.1k $19k (exactly $18,689) 2 Nerdy Nerds
Colored Pencil Bakery $9.99 36 88% 1.1k $11k (exactly $10,789) Andymente
Kitty Burger $10.99 23 100% 690 $7.6k (exactly $7,583) Kowal Games
Rascal's Escape $29.99 6 66% 180 $5.4k (exactly $5,398) the Good Evil GmbH
Cat Home $19.99 8 50% 240 $4.8k (exactly $4,798) Yaokemon

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