Do I ship it?

GamesCookingCooking + Nature

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Nature Cooking game?

Cooking + Nature

Of 56 developers who shipped a Nature 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.. 131 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.5k, ×7.4 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.1k; 1 in 20 cleared $2.1M, ×4565 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 131 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 131 announced, ×4.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Cooking + Nature
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 56
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $5.1k → $6.6k → $5.4k → $2.4k → $4.8k → $1.2k (still earning) → $14k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Cooking + Nature: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 56
Bottom 30% $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Median $3.5k (exactly $3,507)
Top 25% $33k (exactly $32,908)
Top 5% $2.2M (exactly $2,168,326)
Developers, 2 yr 56
Released games 117
Announced 131
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $9.99

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 40% on the market, supply 15% 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.

Cooking
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Nature
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
Cooking; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Life Sim, Crafting
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Cozy, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 24,172 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 $3.5k, 1 in 4 over $32k, 1 in 20 over $2.1M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.1k. 7 in 10 of the 28 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 131 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorFair54 devs · median $14k · 68 announced
  2. + DogsFair12 devs · median $8.1k · 12 announced
  3. + Turn-Based CombatFair15 devs · median $6.0k · 22 announced
  4. + Point & ClickFair68 devs · median $1.8k · 79 announced
  5. + LogicFair27 devs · median $1.6k · 26 announced
  6. + Score AttackFair28 devs · median $1.4k · 30 announced
  7. + Hidden ObjectFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced
  8. + PuzzleFair77 devs · median $958 · 92 announced
  9. + Artificial IntelligencePoor odds15 devs · median $73k · 10 announced
  10. + JRPGPoor odds13 devs · median $34k · 25 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds16 devs · median $30k · 32 announced
  12. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds12 devs · median $26k · 23 announced

All 95 pairs on the Cooking page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar $49.99 3,140 93% 94k $4.7M (exactly $4,709,058) Marvelous Inc.
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings™ Game $34.99 3,237 81% 97k $3.4M (exactly $3,397,879) Wētā Workshop
Fae Farm older $29.99 2,741 78% 82k $2.5M (exactly $2,466,078) Phoenix Labs
Creature Kitchen $7.99 9,046 99% 271k $2.2M (exactly $2,168,326) The Rat Zone
Winter Burrow $19.99 2,838 89% 85k $1.7M (exactly $1,701,949) Pine Creek Games
Grimshire · EA $14.99 3,243 97% 97k $1.5M (exactly $1,458,377) Acute Owl Studio
Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town $29.99 837 95% 25k $753k (exactly $753,049) h.a.n.d., Inc.
Big Farm Story older $19.99 1,172 78% 35k $703k (exactly $702,848) Goodgame Studios
Stranded Sails - Explorers of the Cursed Islands older $24.99 785 72% 24k $589k (exactly $588,514) Alchemist Interactive
Witchy Life Story older $19.99 965 80% 29k $579k (exactly $578,710) Sundew Studios
Cinnabunny $24.99 403 96% 12k $302k (exactly $302,129) Reky Studios
Tiny Eden $14.99 643 74% 19k $289k (exactly $289,157) Bajka Games
World End Diner $16.99 415 93% 12k $212k (exactly $211,525) Andymente
Out and About · EA $17.99 370 91% 11k $200k (exactly $199,689) Yaldi Games

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