Do I ship it?

GamesCraftingCrafting + Word Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Crafting Word Game?

Crafting + Word Game

Only 14 developers shipped a Crafting Word 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, The Apothecary of Trubiz, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×2.5 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $64k, ×102 the market median. Revenue is up 1520% on the market; 18 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 1520% on the market, 18 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Crafting + Word Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $0 → $1.3k → $59 → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Crafting + Word Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,556)
Top 25% $2.4k (exactly $2,394)
Top 5% $64k (exactly $64,159)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 36
Announced 18
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $2.99

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 1520% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Crafting
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Word Game
effort 1 / 10 · high · dictionary logic and simple UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Crafting, Word Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Multiple Endings, Strategy
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Lore-Rich, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 825 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $2.3k, 1 in 20 over $64k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Crafting with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds62 devs · median $15k · 65 announced
  2. + SportsFair24 devs · median $37k · 26 announced
  3. + Turn-BasedFair16 devs · median $17k · 24 announced
  4. + IdlerFair235 devs · median $1.7k · 338 announced
  5. + SolitaireFair12 devs · median $809 · 20 announced
  6. + LovecraftianPoor odds17 devs · median $174k · 39 announced
  7. + MMORPGPoor odds25 devs · median $111k · 155 announced
  8. + LGBTQ+Poor odds19 devs · median $90k · 50 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds160 devs · median $77k · 369 announced
  10. + WesternPoor odds13 devs · median $69k · 23 announced
  11. + Bullet HeavenPoor odds20 devs · median $44k · 25 announced
  12. + TrainsPoor odds17 devs · median $39k · 30 announced

All 200 pairs on the Crafting page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Logiart Grimoire older $19.99 336 94% 10k $201k (exactly $201,499) Jupiter Corporation
The Apothecary of Trubiz $3.99 536 94% 16k $64k (exactly $64,159) kinjo, Image Labo
东北往事 $8.99 137 81% 4.1k $37k (exactly $36,949) 二狗科技
Drawing From Memory older $2.99 215 90% 6.5k $19k (exactly $19,286) Lekker spelen, Kud
Happy Words older $4.99 121 46% 3.6k $18k (exactly $18,114) LAN - GAMES LTD
浮生箓 Floating Life · EA older $2.99 127 45% 3.8k $11k (exactly $11,392) 心流工作室(Heart Stream Studio)
猫头鹰和灯塔 older $14.99 12 50% 360 $5.4k (exactly $5,396) WoodenWolf
Runren Simulator $1.99 59 91% 1.8k $3.5k (exactly $3,522) K.K.
Humanoid older $14.99 7 0% 210 $3.1k (exactly $3,148) BinaryBrigade, Seywan Jahani
From atom to modern older $4.99 17 41% 510 $2.5k (exactly $2,545) Yamate
云玩家:口口 $3.99 20 75% 600 $2.4k (exactly $2,394) 猫不在 / Cat404
Six Shake Coin $4.99 14 92% 420 $2.1k (exactly $2,096) CSTG-小光
Banana of Doom · EA $5.99 9 44% 270 $1.6k (exactly $1,617) Playroom
Genesis Relic: Idle Sandbox Simulator $3.99 13 92% 390 $1.6k (exactly $1,556) BambooCopter
Monkeys & Typewriters! · EA $2.99 15 93% 450 $1.3k (exactly $1,346) Mage & Friends
文字城邦 $1.99 19 68% 570 $1.1k (exactly $1,134) 齿轮游戏
Employee Rules of the Night Strings $1.99 3 100% 90 $179 (exactly $179) 夜弦酒吧

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