Do I ship it?

Games › Desktop Companion › Desktop Companion + Nature

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Nature Desktop Companion?

Desktop Companion + Nature

Of 46 developers who shipped a Nature Desktop Companion 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.. 36 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $3.7k, ×7.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.8k; 1 in 20 cleared $490k, ×1032 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 36 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 90% on the market, 36 announced, ×1.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Desktop Companion + Nature
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 46
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $485k → $3.6k → $3.7k (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Desktop Companion + Nature: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 46
Bottom 30% $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Median $3.7k (exactly $3,711)
Top 25% $25k (exactly $24,875)
Top 5% $490k (exactly $490,042)
Developers, 2 yr 46
Released games 58
Announced 36
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 90% on the market, supply 220% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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.

Desktop Companion
effort 1 / 10 · high · effort 1 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
Desktop Companion; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Idler, Simulation, Creature Collector
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, Cute, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 27,892 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.8k, median $3.7k, 1 in 4 over $24k, 1 in 20 over $490k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.8k. 4 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 36 games are announced against 35 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + AnimalsFair22 devs · median $5.6k · 38 announced
  2. + CatsPoor odds20 devs · median $21k · 35 announced
  3. + BuildingPoor odds27 devs · median $20k · 28 announced
  4. + CollectathonPoor odds30 devs · median $6.6k · 45 announced
  5. + Point & ClickPoor odds29 devs · median $5.9k · 34 announced
  6. + Creature CollectorPoor odds63 devs · median $5.6k · 72 announced
  7. + ManagementPoor odds57 devs · median $5.6k · 75 announced
  8. + EconomyPoor odds32 devs · median $4.9k · 37 announced
  9. + RPGPoor odds21 devs · median $4.9k · 55 announced
  10. + Character CustomizationPoor odds44 devs · median $4.5k · 91 announced
  11. + Female ProtagonistPoor odds21 devs · median $4.5k · 24 announced
  12. + Resource ManagementPoor odds50 devs · median $3.7k · 81 announced

All 21 pairs on the Desktop Companion page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Cast n Chill 2025 · $3.8M Rusty's Retirement 2024 · $2.9M Tiny Pasture 2025 · $1.3M Maltese's Fluffy Onsen 2025 · $490k Ropuka's Idle Island 2025 · $485k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Cast n Chill $14.99 8,383 94% 251k $3.8M (exactly $3,769,835) Wombat Brawler
Rusty's Retirement older $6.99 13,902 96% 417k $2.9M (exactly $2,915,249) Mister Morris Games
Tiny Pasture $5.99 7,055 92% 212k $1.3M (exactly $1,267,784) CaveLiquid
Maltese's Fluffy Onsen $5.99 2,727 94% 82k $490k (exactly $490,042) Sinkhole Studio, Moonlab Studio
Ropuka's Idle Island $3.99 4,048 95% 121k $485k (exactly $484,546) Moczan, Little Chmura, Begoña Pereda
Birdwatching Notebook $9.99 1,588 97% 48k $476k (exactly $475,924) Biekka Games
Cornerpond $2.99 2,567 97% 77k $230k (exactly $230,260) foolsroom
Plantera 2: Golden Acorn older $4.99 1,191 93% 36k $178k (exactly $178,293) VaragtP
Whimside $5.85 394 92% 12k $69k (exactly $69,147) Toadzillart
Mushroom Nook $4.99 392 98% 12k $59k (exactly $58,682) HyperstasisGaming
My Little Spider $4.99 389 94% 12k $58k (exactly $58,233) 9FingerGames, Fatal Fawn Games
Idle Waters $4.99 349 94% 10k $52k (exactly $52,245) Ignita Games

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