Do I ship it?

Games › Co-op › Co-op + Dogs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dog Co-op game?

Co-op + Dogs

Only 15 developers shipped a Dog Co-op 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, Way of the Hunter 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 28 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $9.0k, ×6.0 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.6M, ×1075 the market median. Revenue is up 3255% on the market; 28 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 3255% on the market, 28 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + Dogs
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $21k → $4.3k → $47k → $2.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + Dogs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $1.1k (exactly $1,079)
Median $9.0k (exactly $9,017)
Top 25% $138k (exactly $138,058)
Top 5% $1.6M (exactly $1,610,240)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 58
Announced 28
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 3255% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Co-op
effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
Dogs
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Co-op
Price point
$8.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 6,267 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.1k, median $9.0k, 1 in 4 over $130k, 1 in 20 over $1.6M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 8 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 28 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SuperheroFair9 devs · median $11k · 17 announced
  2. + Boomer ShooterFair16 devs · median $6.9k · 24 announced
  3. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 32 announced
  4. + NinjaFair13 devs · median $4.2k · 13 announced
  5. + TypingLong shot16 devs · median $810 · 13 announced
  6. + Word GameLong shot23 devs · median $267 · 23 announced
  7. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds58 devs · median $515k · 127 announced
  8. + World War IIPoor odds12 devs · median $372k · 23 announced
  9. + AutomationPoor odds48 devs · median $369k · 110 announced
  10. + TransportationPoor odds17 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $164k · 19 announced
  12. + Turn-BasedPoor odds12 devs · median $131k · 19 announced

All 230 pairs on the Co-op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Watch_Dogs™ 2014 · $30M Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) 2011 · $19M Call of Duty®: Ghosts 2014 · $16M Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare - Gold Edition 2014 · $13M Blair Witch 2019 · $5.8M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Watch_Dogs™ older $19.99 49,193 79% 1.5M $30M (exactly $29,501,042) Ubisoft
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 (2011) older $39.99 15,588 90% 468k $19M (exactly $18,700,924) Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games
Call of Duty®: Ghosts older $39.99 12,976 66% 389k $16M (exactly $15,567,307) Infinity Ward
Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare - Gold Edition older $39.99 11,103 64% 333k $13M (exactly $13,320,269) Sledgehammer Games, Raven Software
Blair Witch older $29.99 6,489 78% 195k $5.8M (exactly $5,838,153) Bloober Team SA
Cat Quest II older $14.99 5,850 95% 176k $2.6M (exactly $2,630,745) The Gentlebros
Way of the Hunter 2 · EA $34.99 1,534 73% 46k $1.6M (exactly $1,610,240) Nine Rocks Games
Animal Shelter 2 $24.99 1,204 79% 36k $903k (exactly $902,639) Games Incubator
PHOGS! older $24.99 1,171 78% 35k $878k (exactly $877,899) Bit Loom Games
Big Farm Story older $19.99 1,172 78% 35k $703k (exactly $702,848) Goodgame Studios
Pratfall $7.99 2,797 90% 84k $670k (exactly $670,441) Quad Head
Sheepherds! $14.99 307 98% 9.2k $138k (exactly $138,058) Ultimo Disco
NiuMa $5.99 263 91% 7.9k $47k (exactly $47,261) Game Star
Burgle Supply Company $7.99 85 88% 2.6k $20k (exactly $20,374) Terrible Posture Games
PAW Patrol™: Dino World $39.99 14 64% 420 $17k (exactly $16,796) 3DClouds
The Creator $6.99 43 81% 1.3k $9.0k (exactly $9,017) Mark Miller
Nickelodeon Splat Pack $14.99 6 83% 180 $2.7k (exactly $2,698) Mighty Rabbit Studios
Woofy Run · EA $4.99 14 78% 420 $2.1k (exactly $2,096) ICON GAME STUDIO

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