Do I ship it?

GamesImmersive SimImmersive Sim + Cats

Specimen · observed

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.

Deciding numbers: median 1.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 30% on the market, 66 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Immersive Sim + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 56
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $7.4k → $14k → $3.9k → $959 → $1.3k → $3.8k → $37k (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Immersive Sim + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 56
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.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

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
Plate 4 · demand

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.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $39k, 1 in 20 over $710k.

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.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds112 devs · median $63k · 58 announced
  2. + Trading Card GameStrong odds18 devs · median $30k · 13 announced
  3. + MinigamesStrong odds15 devs · median $24k · 11 announced
  4. + WesternStrong odds17 devs · median $4.4k · 14 announced
  5. + BoxingStrong odds16 devs · median $2.7k · 12 announced
  6. + Job SimulatorFair152 devs · median $20k · 180 announced
  7. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $17k · 10 announced
  8. + Dating SimFair295 devs · median $13k · 296 announced
  9. + RomanceFair254 devs · median $12k · 266 announced
  10. + LGBTQ+Fair87 devs · median $11k · 93 announced
  11. + Visual NovelFair399 devs · median $7.8k · 453 announced
  12. + Split ScreenFair12 devs · median $6.0k · 14 announced

All 219 pairs on the Immersive Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

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.