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Should I ship a Mystery Cooking game?
Cooking + Mystery
Of 32 developers who shipped a Mystery Cooking game 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.. 64 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×6.2 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×467 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 64 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.0k (exactly $1,048) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,960) |
| Top 25% | $26k (exactly $25,583) |
| Top 5% | $222k (exactly $221,911) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 32 |
| Released games | 53 |
| Announced | 64 |
| 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 85% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Cooking; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Open World, Simulation
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 5,032 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 6 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 64 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Cooking with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + DogsFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + LogicFair
- + Score AttackFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + PuzzleFair
- + Artificial IntelligencePoor odds
- + JRPGPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
Comparable games
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty 2024 · $15M 
Cooking Companions 2021 · $486k 
Kiosk 2025 · $305k 
DYSPLACED 2026 · EA · $222k 
Magical Delicacy 2024 · $180k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty | older | $9.99 | 49,765 94% | 1.5M | $15M (exactly $14,914,570) | 零创游戏(ZerocreationGame) |
| | Cooking Companions | older | $14.99 | 1,081 93% | 32k | $486k (exactly $486,126) | Deer Dream Studios |
| | Kiosk | $3.99 | 2,547 88% | 76k | $305k (exactly $304,876) | Vivi | |
| | DYSPLACED | · EA | $24.99 | 296 87% | 8.9k | $222k (exactly $221,911) | 10tons Ltd |
| | Magical Delicacy | older | $24.99 | 240 77% | 7.2k | $180k (exactly $179,928) | Skaule |
 | On Your Tail | $19.99 | 292 87% | 8.8k | $175k (exactly $175,112) | Memorable Games | |
 | Nancy Drew®: Warnings at Waverly Academy | older | $14.99 | 335 90% | 10k | $151k (exactly $150,650) | HeR Interactive |
 | Tostchu | $7.99 | 594 84% | 18k | $142k (exactly $142,382) | Ravenscape Collective | |
 | The Herbalist | older | $5.99 | 648 93% | 19k | $116k (exactly $116,446) | Moonworks |
 | [Bober Bros] The Hole | $2.99 | 779 85% | 23k | $70k (exactly $69,876) | BOBER BROS | |
 | Meat Grinder: Hotdog Simulator | $7.99 | 163 80% | 4.9k | $39k (exactly $39,071) | Panic Panda | |
 | The Supper: New Blood | $9.99 | 120 88% | 3.6k | $36k (exactly $35,964) | White Blanket Games | |
 | The Dream Within | $6.99 | 122 81% | 3.7k | $26k (exactly $25,583) | Roaming of Little Hammer | |
 | Tales from The Dancing Moon | $17.99 | 34 88% | 1.0k | $18k (exactly $18,350) | DjMonkey | |
 | Serve Or Die | $4.99 | 85 88% | 2.6k | $13k (exactly $12,724) | Dead Tape Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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