Do I ship it?

Games › Desktop Companion › Desktop Companion + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Desktop Companion?

Desktop Companion + Cats

Of 20 developers who shipped a Cat Desktop Companion 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.. 35 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $21k, ×176 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $490k, ×4118 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 35 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 176.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 35 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Desktop Companion + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $46k → $9.7k (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Desktop Companion + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $21k (exactly $20,970)
Top 25% $46k (exactly $46,344)
Top 5% $490k (exactly $490,042)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 26
Announced 35
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 60% on the market, supply 300% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Desktop Companion
effort 1 / 10 · high · effort 1 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
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Desktop Companion; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Idler, Simulation, Character Customization
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Relaxing, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 6,505 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $21k, 1 in 4 over $46k, 1 in 20 over $490k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 5 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 35 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + AnimalsFair22 devs · median $5.6k · 38 announced
  2. + BuildingPoor odds27 devs · median $20k · 28 announced
  3. + CollectathonPoor odds30 devs · median $6.6k · 45 announced
  4. + Point & ClickPoor odds29 devs · median $5.9k · 34 announced
  5. + Creature CollectorPoor odds63 devs · median $5.6k · 72 announced
  6. + ManagementPoor odds57 devs · median $5.6k · 75 announced
  7. + EconomyPoor odds32 devs · median $4.9k · 37 announced
  8. + RPGPoor odds21 devs · median $4.9k · 55 announced
  9. + Character CustomizationPoor odds44 devs · median $4.5k · 91 announced
  10. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds21 devs · median $4.5k · 24 announced
  11. + Resource ManagementPoor odds50 devs · median $3.7k · 81 announced
  12. + NaturePoor odds46 devs · median $3.7k · 36 announced

All 21 pairs on the Desktop Companion page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Maltese's Fluffy Onsen 2025 · $490k Tap Tap Loot 2026 · $171k Chonkers 2024 · $78k NoSlack Pets: Lo-Fi Paws 2025 · $69k Fluffy Kitchen Saga 2025 · $46k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Maltese's Fluffy Onsen $5.99 2,727 94% 82k $490k (exactly $490,042) Sinkhole Studio, Moonlab Studio
Tap Tap Loot $6.99 815 76% 24k $171k (exactly $170,906) Turtle Knight Games
Chonkers $4.99 518 87% 16k $78k (exactly $77,545) Solar Eclipse Games
NoSlack Pets: Lo-Fi Paws $5.99 385 97% 12k $69k (exactly $69,184) Lynkpin Game
Fluffy Kitchen Saga $6.99 221 64% 6.6k $46k (exactly $46,344) MEOW STORE GAME
Meow Palace: Forbidden City · EA $5.99 247 90% 7.4k $44k (exactly $44,386) 宫喵家族
With Your Coworker $0.99 1,220 82% 37k $36k (exactly $36,234) 搖滾冰塊
Pat the Cat $4.99 189 98% 5.7k $28k (exactly $28,293) okfinegames
Desktop Cat Cafe $9.99 83 75% 2.5k $25k (exactly $24,875) samyam, lockyaw
Neko Station $6.99 100 88% 3.0k $21k (exactly $20,970) Sunny Syrup Studio, SECRET CHARACTER

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