Do I ship it?

GamesCo-opCo-op + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Co-op Idler?

Co-op + Idler

Of 27 developers who shipped a Co-op Idler 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.. 59 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $750; 1 in 20 cleared $300k, ×201 the market median. Revenue is up 20% on the market; 59 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 20% on the market, 59 announced, ×4.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Co-op + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 27
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.2k → $25k → $1.8k → $359 → $599 (still earning) → $2.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Co-op + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 27
Bottom 30% $748 (exactly $748)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 25% $5.0k (exactly $5,034)
Top 5% $301k (exactly $301,392)
Developers, 2 yr 27
Released games 82
Announced 59
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $4.99

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 20% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 38%, 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.

Co-op
effort 7 / 10 · low · co-op on Steam means online sessions and drop-in sync
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Co-op, Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Sandbox, Character Customization
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, 3D, Cartoony
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 8,239 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $750, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $5.0k, 1 in 20 over $300k.

3 in 10 developers made under $750. 8 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 59 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Co-op with a different second tag, 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Farm Together 2 $25.99 4,456 93% 134k $3.5M (exactly $3,474,343) Milkstone Studios
MyVoiceZoo $2.99 3,360 92% 101k $301k (exactly $301,392) TRUSO
RUSSIAPHOBIA older $0.99 5,589 69% 168k $166k (exactly $165,993) European Flameworms
Real VR Fishing $19.99 184 73% 5.5k $110k (exactly $110,345) Devs United Games, Inc
PropHunter · EA older $3.99 917 79% 28k $110k (exactly $109,765) Alone Fox Games
Bhop PRO older $9.99 225 18% 6.8k $67k (exactly $67,432) HorseGames
Tumbleweed Destiny older $2.99 352 95% 11k $32k (exactly $31,574) KIMIDORI SOFT
Escape From Monster older $4.99 206 70% 6.2k $31k (exactly $30,838) Thunder Games
CyberTD older $19.99 50 66% 1.5k $30k (exactly $29,985) Clockwork Origins
Another Try older $2.99 290 50% 8.7k $26k (exactly $26,013) Hoki Wolf Studio
Galactic Simulator $4.99 46 76% 1.4k $6.9k (exactly $6,886) PcZ Games
Polygeddon $2.99 61 40% 1.8k $5.5k (exactly $5,472) Digital Dreamworks, Gamesforfarm
Beat Paws Odyssey $6.99 26 88% 780 $5.5k (exactly $5,452) mindora games
Lofi Haven $7.99 21 95% 630 $5.0k (exactly $5,034) Meow Games
Ball Scooping Friends $3.99 36 83% 1.1k $4.3k (exactly $4,309) STP WORKS
Shake it Co! $4.99 21 100% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) Zero Task
Fish-Click Squad! $2.99 28 92% 840 $2.5k (exactly $2,512) Cool Car Studio

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