Do I ship it?

Games › Hidden Object › Hidden Object + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Cats

Of 128 developers who shipped a Cat 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.. 160 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×13 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $660. Revenue is up 75% on the market; 160 games are announced against 84 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 12.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 75% on the market, 160 announced, ×1.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 128
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $3.2k → $4.1k → $3.3k → $1.1k → $1.9k → $2.4k (still earning) → $776 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 128
Bottom 30% $657 (exactly $657)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Top 25% $5.7k (exactly $5,672)
Top 5% $82k (exactly $82,482)
Developers, 2 yr 128
Released games 603
Announced 160
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $1.99

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 75% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
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
Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Point & Click, Adventure
Price point
$1.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Relaxing, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $1.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 7,266 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $660, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $5.6k, 1 in 20 over $82k.

3 in 10 developers made under $660. 7 in 10 of the 177 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 160 games are announced against 84 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  2. + Level EditorFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair46 devs · median $3.5k · 41 announced
  4. + DogsFair35 devs · median $1.5k · 18 announced
  5. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  6. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  7. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  8. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  9. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  10. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  11. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 announced
  12. + CookingFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced

All 188 pairs on the Hidden Object page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

A Little to the Left 2022 · $7.6M In Sound Mind 2021 · $5.7M Chicken Police - Paint it RED! 2020 · $974k CATO: Buttered Cat 2024 · $921k Minami Lane 2024 · $912k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
A Little to the Left older $14.99 16,885 91% 507k $7.6M (exactly $7,593,184) Max Inferno
In Sound Mind older $34.99 5,467 95% 164k $5.7M (exactly $5,738,710) We Create Stuff
Chicken Police - Paint it RED! older $19.99 1,624 94% 49k $974k (exactly $973,913) The Wild Gentlemen
CATO: Buttered Cat older $10.99 2,794 98% 84k $921k (exactly $921,182) Team Woll
Minami Lane older $4.99 6,089 97% 183k $912k (exactly $911,523) Blibloop, Doot
A Castle Full of Cats older $3.99 4,073 99% 122k $488k (exactly $487,538) Devcats
Organized Inside $7.99 2,024 94% 61k $485k (exactly $485,153) Meox Studio
Find Matt's Cats $19.99 719 98% 22k $431k (exactly $431,184) Matt Roszak
A Tower Full of Cats older $5.99 2,304 99% 69k $414k (exactly $414,029) Devcats
A Building Full of Cats older $2.99 4,103 98% 123k $368k (exactly $368,039) Devcats
A Building Full of Cats 2 $6.99 1,145 97% 34k $240k (exactly $240,106) Devcats
A Shelter Full of Cats $4.99 1,152 97% 35k $172k (exactly $172,454) Devcats
Dyping Escape $9.99 544 91% 16k $163k (exactly $163,037) Heaviside Creations
A Planet Full of Cats $7.99 581 89% 17k $139k (exactly $139,266) Devcats
夏目友人帳 ～葉月の記～ $49.99 77 80% 2.3k $115k (exactly $115,477) Toydium
Nippets: A Hidden Object Game $12.99 214 92% 6.4k $83k (exactly $83,396) Blink Industries
Shelve the Potions! $5.99 459 87% 14k $82k (exactly $82,482) Knight Owl Games
Welcome to Doll Town $4.99 351 42% 11k $53k (exactly $52,545) Bad Wish Games

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