Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Inventory Management game?

Inventory Management + Cats

Only 17 developers shipped a Cat Inventory Management game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 32 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×4.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×298 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 32 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 32 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 17
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.0k → $8.4k → $3.9k → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 17
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $1.9k (exactly $1,930)
Top 25% $9.6k (exactly $9,590)
Top 5% $142k (exactly $141,656)
Developers, 2 yr 17
Released games 37
Announced 32
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 down 95% on the market, supply 225% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 30%, 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.

Inventory Management
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
Inventory Management; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Character Customization, Puzzle, Shop Keeper
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Cozy, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 1,000 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 $1.9k, 1 in 4 over $9.5k, 1 in 20 over $140k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 7 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 32 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds69 devs · median $15k · 62 announced
  2. + LGBTQ+Fair10 devs · median $17k · 13 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair43 devs · median $12k · 47 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair34 devs · median $11k · 44 announced
  5. + WargameFair21 devs · median $4.6k · 20 announced
  6. + Time ManagementFair181 devs · median $2.9k · 228 announced
  7. + DeckbuildingFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  8. + LogicFair70 devs · median $1.7k · 74 announced
  9. + Card GameFair65 devs · median $1.6k · 86 announced
  10. + Trading Card GameFair21 devs · median $1.5k · 28 announced
  11. + Puzzle PlatformerFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  12. + God GameFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced

All 164 pairs on the Inventory Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Everdell 2022 · $346k StrikeForce Kitty 2018 · $300k Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage 2024 · EA · $142k The Sorting Bureau 2026 · $89k Rekindled Trails 2025 · $43k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Everdell older $19.99 577 90% 17k $346k (exactly $346,027) Dire Wolf
StrikeForce Kitty older $9.99 1,002 89% 30k $300k (exactly $300,299) Creepy Brothers
Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage · EA $14.99 315 93% 9.5k $142k (exactly $141,656) Unbossed Games
The Sorting Bureau $9.99 298 77% 8.9k $89k (exactly $89,311) Apelsinka Games
Rekindled Trails $11.99 120 91% 3.6k $43k (exactly $43,164) Kiwick
MilkTea Time $11.99 114 82% 3.4k $41k (exactly $41,006) 星九猫游戏-StarNineCat Games
ASTRO AQUA KITTY older $14.99 79 87% 2.4k $36k (exactly $35,526) TIKIPOD
Whisker Waters older $19.99 52 50% 1.6k $31k (exactly $31,184) Underbite Games
Cute Farmer Life older $3.99 121 98% 3.6k $14k (exactly $14,484) SE32
Pakinpaks $9.99 32 100% 960 $9.6k (exactly $9,590) Indiebuild
Shop Simulator: Pet Shop $9.99 28 82% 840 $8.4k (exactly $8,392) Three River Games (3RG)
Hounimal $8.99 15 100% 450 $4.0k (exactly $4,046) TONTORO Games
Meowmunitions $12.99 10 50% 300 $3.9k (exactly $3,897) Pete Karesisto
Cat Simulator: Meow $0.99 65 60% 2.0k $1.9k (exactly $1,930) Cat Studio
Unhinged Pet Store Simulator $11.99 3 100% 90 $1.1k (exactly $1,079) BH Studios

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