Do I ship it?

GamesRogueliteRoguelite + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Roguelite?

Roguelite + Cats

Of 80 developers who shipped a Cat Roguelite 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.. 107 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $240k, ×523 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 107 games are announced against 46 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 107 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Roguelite + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 80
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.0k → $3.4k → $3.6k → $4.0k → $1.2k (still earning) → $240 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Roguelite + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 80
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,347)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $12,225)
Top 5% $248k (exactly $248,234)
Developers, 2 yr 80
Released games 121
Announced 107
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.89

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 40% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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.

Roguelite
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
Roguelite; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Action, Action Roguelike
Price point
$6.89 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, 2D, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.89.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 54,479 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $240k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 9 in 10 of the 37 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 107 games are announced against 46 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Real-TimeFair11 devs · median $11k · 14 announced
  2. + ProgrammingFair24 devs · median $9.3k · 28 announced
  3. + VampiresFair60 devs · median $4.8k · 62 announced
  4. + TypingFair29 devs · median $2.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair21 devs · median $2.0k · 23 announced
  6. + IdlerFair166 devs · median $1.5k · 235 announced
  7. + DogsFair30 devs · median $1.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair23 devs · median $1.1k · 23 announced
  9. + Score AttackFair344 devs · median $719 · 450 announced
  10. + Point & ClickFair94 devs · median $600 · 121 announced
  11. + LogicFair144 devs · median $599 · 143 announced
  12. + DwarvesPoor odds21 devs · median $74k · 24 announced

All 229 pairs on the Roguelite page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mewgenics $29.99 49,996 89% 1.5M $45M (exactly $44,981,401) Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
Atomicrops older $14.99 5,134 93% 154k $2.3M (exactly $2,308,760) Bird Bath Games
Garden of Witches $18.99 1,978 92% 59k $1.1M (exactly $1,126,867) Team Tapas
Cat God Ranch older $9.99 1,831 92% 55k $549k (exactly $548,751) CrazyPotato Studio
Portal Dungeon older $14.99 995 88% 30k $447k (exactly $447,452) Dusk Dog Studio
Beastro $19.99 598 92% 18k $359k (exactly $358,621) Timberline Studio
Morsels $14.99 552 75% 17k $248k (exactly $248,234) Furcula
Cat Bait · EA older $4.99 1,446 96% 43k $216k (exactly $216,466) Mayni prod.
Tallowmere 2: Curse of the Kittens older $9.99 318 80% 9.5k $95k (exactly $95,305) Chris McFarland
Maze Mice $9.99 315 88% 9.5k $94k (exactly $94,406) TrampolineTales
Roulette Hero $9.99 260 92% 7.8k $78k (exactly $77,922) CLLC Studio
Replicat $9.99 213 99% 6.4k $64k (exactly $63,836) Brainoid Games
LOOTPLOT $6.99 221 94% 6.6k $46k (exactly $46,344) CodeTheory Ltd
Feng Shui Meowjong $4.99 276 95% 8.3k $41k (exactly $41,317) Wavebreak Studio
Ultra Mega Cats · EA $11.99 70 74% 2.1k $25k (exactly $25,179) Fallen Leaf, Unseen Silence, Black Drak… (Fallen Leaf, Unseen Silence, Black Drakkar Games)

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