Games › Strategy › Strategy + Desktop Companion
Should I ship a Desktop Companion Strategy game?
Strategy + Desktop Companion
Of 29 developers who shipped a Desktop Companion Strategy 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.. 47 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.5k, ×4.0 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $260k, ×419 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 47 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $1.7k (exactly $1,676) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.5k (exactly $2,516) |
| Top 25% | $10k (exactly $10,030) |
| Top 5% | $263k (exactly $262,951) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 29 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 47 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 765% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 8%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Desktop Companion
- effort 1 / 10 · high · effort 1 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy, Desktop Companion; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Idler, Automation, Management
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
- Art
- 7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 5,156 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $1.7k. 47 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + BaseballFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + WuxiaFair
- + FarmingFair
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + SubmarineFair
- + NavalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + HackingFair
Comparable games
Rusty's Retirement 2024 · $2.9M 
Crusaders Quest : Hero Town 2026 · $538k 
Your Big, Cute Monster Farm 2025 · $263k 
Idle Waters 2025 · $52k 
Bao Bao's™ Cozy Laundromat 2025 · $49k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rusty's Retirement | older | $6.99 | 13,902 96% | 417k | $2.9M (exactly $2,915,249) | Mister Morris Games |
| | Crusaders Quest : Hero Town | $6.99 | 2,564 76% | 77k | $538k (exactly $537,671) | CQ LABS | |
| | Your Big, Cute Monster Farm | $7.99 | 1,097 78% | 33k | $263k (exactly $262,951) | KaiPlay Studio | |
| | Idle Waters | $4.99 | 349 94% | 10k | $52k (exactly $52,245) | Ignita Games | |
| | Bao Bao's™ Cozy Laundromat | $3.99 | 410 83% | 12k | $49k (exactly $49,077) | Destroyer Doggo | |
 | Village Tale | $5.99 | 268 81% | 8.0k | $48k (exactly $48,160) | Knight Owl Games | |
 | Incremental Infinity | $4.99 | 160 58% | 4.8k | $24k (exactly $23,952) | Rablo Games | |
 | Push Push | $4.99 | 111 97% | 3.3k | $17k (exactly $16,617) | 1ceAgain | |
 | Tiny Vending Machines | $4.99 | 67 61% | 2.0k | $10k (exactly $10,030) | Frozen Logic Studios | |
 | My Tiny Garden | $4.99 | 65 60% | 2.0k | $9.7k (exactly $9,730) | Frozen Logic Studios | |
 | Cafe Cafe: Idle Bird Collector | $4.99 | 65 92% | 2.0k | $9.7k (exactly $9,730) | CHONKSOFT |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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