Do I ship it?

GamesCRPGCRPG + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object CRPG?

CRPG + Hidden Object

Only 19 developers shipped a Hidden Object CRPG 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 Legend of Fancy Realm Remake, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 42 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.0k, ×0.7 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300. 42 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper, while revenue is up 545% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 545% on the market, 42 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
CRPG + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 19
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $718 → $3.1k → $3.1k → $450 → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for CRPG + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 19
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $1.0k (exactly $1,048)
Top 25% $4.3k (exactly $4,341)
Top 5% $672k (exactly $672,481)
Developers, 2 yr 19
Released games 56
Announced 42
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $6.99

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 545% on the market, supply 70% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

CRPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
CRPG, Hidden Object; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Exploration, Adventure
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,071 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.0k, 1 in 4 over $4.3k, 1 in 20 over $670k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. All of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $26k · 14 announced
  2. + Female ProtagonistFair84 devs · median $2.4k · 95 announced
  3. + TabletopFair22 devs · median $1.9k · 26 announced
  4. + Traditional RoguelikeFair12 devs · median $1.9k · 13 announced
  5. + 2D PlatformerFair62 devs · median $1.2k · 76 announced
  6. + IncrementalLong shot32 devs · median $449 · 27 announced
  7. + FMVPoor odds16 devs · median $58k · 14 announced
  8. + Card BattlerPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced
  9. + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds26 devs · median $23k · 46 announced
  10. + SpacePoor odds11 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds13 devs · median $22k · 23 announced
  12. + Souls-likePoor odds12 devs · median $20k · 24 announced

All 123 pairs on the CRPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Legend of Fancy Realm Remake $24.99 897 86% 27k $672k (exactly $672,481) USERJOY Technology Co.,Ltd.
月藍傳奇REMAKE古文明之謎 older $19.99 244 93% 7.3k $146k (exactly $146,327) 天使蛋糕, 攸藍, 牙籤, 黃金, 咕咕咕, 鎧特
Hotel Business Simulator older $12.99 191 46% 5.7k $74k (exactly $74,433) Geekon
Wet Sand · EA older $9.99 113 93% 3.4k $34k (exactly $33,866) Likho Games
BORIS THE ROCKET 🚀 older $9.99 87 97% 2.6k $26k (exactly $26,074) toR Studio
I live under your house. older $1.99 305 80% 9.2k $18k (exactly $18,208) SpoocleMacBoogle
RECORD_DrowsyVortex $9.99 54 100% 1.6k $16k (exactly $16,184) LunarHillz
Jesus Simulator $12.99 24 54% 720 $9.4k (exactly $9,353) VRCFORGE STUDIOS
Hers' Alms $15.99 16 50% 480 $7.7k (exactly $7,675) Kai Studio
Horror In Hongdae · EA older $6.99 30 90% 900 $6.3k (exactly $6,291) Balsagames
Tail of Glory $4.99 29 100% 870 $4.3k (exactly $4,341) Lascalis
На недельку до второго $4.99 26 100% 780 $3.9k (exactly $3,892) UrbanWanderer
ANIMA : Dark Fairy Tale for Adults $9.99 7 100% 210 $2.1k (exactly $2,098) MUNAKI
LITTLE CAT TINY STRAYS · EA $8.99 6 83% 180 $1.6k (exactly $1,618) Phillip Burton
Verfall $6.99 7 57% 210 $1.5k (exactly $1,468) Hoffnung Haydn
スローライフサバイバー/SlowLife Survivor $6.99 5 0% 150 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) MIZUBLUE GAMES

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