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Should I ship a Cat Immersive Sim?
Immersive Sim + Cats
Of 56 developers who shipped a Cat Immersive Sim 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.. 66 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×1.2 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $710k, ×479 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 66 games are announced against 32 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) |
| Top 25% | $39k (exactly $39,124) |
| Top 5% | $718k (exactly $717,631) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 56 |
| Released games | 109 |
| Announced | 66 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 down 30% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Immersive Sim
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Cats
- effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Immersive Sim; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Life Sim, Adventure
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, First-Person, Relaxing
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 38,277 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 28 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 66 games are announced against 32 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Immersive Sim with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Trading Card GameStrong odds
- + MinigamesStrong odds
- + WesternStrong odds
- + BoxingStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + Dating SimFair
- + RomanceFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Split ScreenFair
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 |
| | Animal Shelter | older | $19.99 | 3,642 87% | 109k | $2.2M (exactly $2,184,107) | Games Incubator |
| | Animal Shelter 2 | $24.99 | 1,204 79% | 36k | $903k (exactly $902,639) | Games Incubator | |
| | Bookshop Simulator | $15.99 | 1,496 92% | 45k | $718k (exactly $717,631) | Blep Games | |
| | Kemono Teatime | $12.99 | 1,617 95% | 49k | $630k (exactly $630,145) | Studio Lalala, Kotoneiro, WHO YOU | |
| | ORDER 13 | $8.99 | 1,224 87% | 37k | $330k (exactly $330,113) | Cybernetic Walrus | |
| | Cats & Cups | $9.99 | 1,047 89% | 31k | $314k (exactly $313,786) | Rogue Duck Interactive | |
| | Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator | $14.99 | 529 75% | 16k | $238k (exactly $237,891) | Konrul Game | |
| | The Good Life | older | $29.99 | 198 74% | 5.9k | $178k (exactly $178,141) | White Owls Inc. |
| | Pets Hotel | older | $17.99 | 313 79% | 9.4k | $169k (exactly $168,926) | Games Incubator |
| | Dyping Escape | $9.99 | 544 91% | 16k | $163k (exactly $163,037) | Heaviside Creations | |
| | Gacha Capsule Shop Simulator - Akihabara | · EA | $12.40 | 379 82% | 11k | $141k (exactly $140,988) | UGC90 |
| | The Floor Above | $12.99 | 217 88% | 6.5k | $85k (exactly $84,565) | Swytapp Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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