Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Conspiracy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Conspiracy Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Conspiracy

Of 27 developers who shipped a Conspiracy Hidden Object 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.. 60 more are announced, ×3.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×248 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 60 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 60 announced, ×3.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Conspiracy
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: $2.7k → $1.2k → $10k → $1.9k → $2.3k → $807 → $3.4k (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Conspiracy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 27
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $600 (exactly $600)
Top 25% $9.0k (exactly $8,982)
Top 5% $118k (exactly $117,741)
Developers, 2 yr 27
Released games 104
Announced 60
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $5.99

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 65% on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
Conspiracy
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 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
Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, Logic
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Stylized, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 1,812 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $600, 1 in 4 over $8.9k, 1 in 20 over $110k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 7 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 60 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  2. + Level EditorFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair46 devs · median $3.5k · 41 announced
  4. + CatsFair128 devs · median $1.5k · 160 announced
  5. + DogsFair35 devs · median $1.5k · 18 announced
  6. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  8. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  9. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  10. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  12. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 announced

All 188 pairs on the Hidden Object page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Confidential Killings - A Detective Game $14.99 716 76% 21k $322k (exactly $321,985) BRANE, Lorenzo Boni
Broken Sword 2 - the Smoking Mirror: Remastered (2010) older $5.99 1,255 91% 38k $226k (exactly $225,524) Revolution Software Ltd
Tested on Humans: Escape Room older $9.99 434 87% 13k $130k (exactly $130,070) mc2games
Space Accident VR $16.99 231 82% 6.9k $118k (exactly $117,741) VR-WRG
Gordian Rooms 2: A curious island older $24.99 151 75% 4.5k $113k (exactly $113,205) Crimsonite Games
Nancy Drew®: The Silent Spy older $19.99 169 89% 5.1k $101k (exactly $101,349) HeR Interactive
Gordian Rooms 1: A curious heritage older $5.99 524 85% 16k $94k (exactly $94,163) Crimsonite Games
I'm on Observation Duty 8 $11.99 237 95% 7.1k $85k (exactly $85,249) Notovia, Dreamloop Games
Broken Sword 4 - the Angel of Death (2006) older $5.99 456 43% 14k $82k (exactly $81,943) Sumo Digital Ltd
Pyramids and Aliens: Escape Room $12.99 191 81% 5.7k $74k (exactly $74,433) mc2games
Dofamine VR $9.99 173 82% 5.2k $52k (exactly $51,848) VR-WRG
LAN Party Adventures $14.99 93 89% 2.8k $42k (exactly $41,822) LEAP Game Studios
The State of Nowhere $19.99 26 88% 780 $16k (exactly $15,592) Anomaly Works
Dingir OS $4.99 60 85% 1.8k $9.0k (exactly $8,982) SpoocleMacBoogle
Project Looking Glass $4.99 47 100% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) MORPH
Uninstall Simulator $2.99 38 84% 1.1k $3.4k (exactly $3,409) Thirdpark Games

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