Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Crime

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Crime Inventory Management game?

Inventory Management + Crime

Of 28 developers who shipped a Crime Inventory Management 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.. 62 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×3.4 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×248 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 62 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 62 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Crime
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $629 → $3.4k → $4.5k → $1.8k → $106k → $1.6k → $5.7k (still earning) → $600 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Crime: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $2.2k (exactly $2,158)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $17,985)
Top 5% $155k (exactly $155,490)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 76
Announced 62
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $8.99

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 360% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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.

Inventory Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Crime
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Inventory Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Exploration, Life Sim
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 2,240 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $2.2k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds69 devs · median $15k · 62 announced
  2. + LGBTQ+Fair10 devs · median $17k · 13 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair43 devs · median $12k · 47 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair34 devs · median $11k · 44 announced
  5. + WargameFair21 devs · median $4.6k · 20 announced
  6. + Time ManagementFair181 devs · median $2.9k · 228 announced
  7. + DeckbuildingFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  8. + LogicFair70 devs · median $1.7k · 74 announced
  9. + Card GameFair65 devs · median $1.6k · 86 announced
  10. + Trading Card GameFair21 devs · median $1.5k · 28 announced
  11. + Puzzle PlatformerFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  12. + God GameFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced

All 164 pairs on the Inventory Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Drug Dealer Simulator 2020 · $11M Drug Dealer Simulator 2 2024 · $4.1M Prison Simulator 2021 · $1.4M City of Gangsters 2021 · $1.2M Used Cars Simulator 2025 · EA · $688k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Drug Dealer Simulator older $19.99 18,297 85% 549k $11M (exactly $10,972,711) Byterunners
Drug Dealer Simulator 2 older $24.99 5,480 69% 164k $4.1M (exactly $4,108,356) Byterunners
Prison Simulator older $19.99 2,329 86% 70k $1.4M (exactly $1,396,701) Baked Games
City of Gangsters older $29.99 1,332 73% 40k $1.2M (exactly $1,198,400) SomaSim
Used Cars Simulator · EA $19.99 1,147 79% 34k $688k (exactly $687,856) DreamWay Games
Police Shootout older $14.99 449 55% 13k $202k (exactly $201,915) Games Incubator, Hypnotic Ants
Laundering Simulator - Clean Cash and Laundry $12.99 399 81% 12k $155k (exactly $155,490) Ritual Interactive
Frankie's FunClub $14.99 236 65% 7.1k $106k (exactly $106,129) LOVEBITES
Family Mysteries 3: Criminal Mindset older $14.99 102 80% 3.1k $46k (exactly $45,869) Brave Giant LTD
The Brewline $9.99 110 84% 3.3k $33k (exactly $32,967) Alcora Games
Rich List: The Order · EA $14.99 70 90% 2.1k $31k (exactly $31,479) YUANYE TECH
Escape From Crimson Manor: Trapped Together $12.99 78 69% 2.3k $30k (exactly $30,397) MediaCity Games
Speakeasy Simulator $11.99 50 88% 1.5k $18k (exactly $17,985) Arcana Games
WeedEx: Drug Express Delivery · EA $3.99 108 67% 3.2k $13k (exactly $12,928) CGI LAB GAMES
Book Smugglers $14.99 25 92% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) FLUXO GAMES
Deliverage $12.99 17 82% 510 $6.6k (exactly $6,625) Majao Games

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