Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Detective
Should I ship a Detective Inventory Management game?
Inventory Management + Detective
Of 22 developers who shipped a Detective 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.. 52 more are announced, ×4.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $59k, ×125 the market median. Revenue is up 50% on the market; 52 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.7k (exactly $1,678) |
| Top 25% | $3.4k (exactly $3,414) |
| Top 5% | $59k (exactly $59,370) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 22 |
| Released games | 76 |
| Announced | 52 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 50% on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 3%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Inventory Management
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Detective
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Inventory Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, Investigation
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
- Art
- 7 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 930 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. All of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 52 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Inventory Management with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + WargameFair
- + Time ManagementFair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + LogicFair
- + Card GameFair
- + Trading Card GameFair
- + Puzzle PlatformerFair
- + God GameFair
Comparable games
Aurora Hills: Chapter 2 2026 · $128k 
SCP Strategy 2022 · $117k 
Pneumata 2024 · $59k 
Family Mysteries 3: Criminal Mindset 2020 · $46k 
Escape From Crimson Manor: Trapped Together 2026 · $30k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Aurora Hills: Chapter 2 | $7.99 | 533 98% | 16k | $128k (exactly $127,760) | NovaSoft Interactive Ltd. | |
| | SCP Strategy | older | $6.99 | 556 78% | 17k | $117k (exactly $116,593) | LUXO Interactive |
| | Pneumata | $19.99 | 99 48% | 3.0k | $59k (exactly $59,370) | Deadbolt Interactive | |
| | Family Mysteries 3: Criminal Mindset | older | $14.99 | 102 80% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $45,869) | Brave Giant LTD |
| | Escape From Crimson Manor: Trapped Together | $12.99 | 78 69% | 2.3k | $30k (exactly $30,397) | MediaCity Games | |
 | Tache Noire | $16.99 | 50 94% | 1.5k | $25k (exactly $25,485) | StitchedCliffs | |
 | Chernobyl Again | older | $19.99 | 39 61% | 1.2k | $23k (exactly $23,388) | Vimagineo Sp. z o.o. |
 | Word of the Law: Death Mask Collector's Edition | older | $7.99 | 33 78% | 990 | $7.9k (exactly $7,910) | Do Games Limited |
 | The Order of the Snake Scale | older | $8.99 | 29 72% | 870 | $7.8k (exactly $7,821) | FM Simple Games Studio, Sons of Welder,… (FM Simple Games Studio, Sons of Welder, Acid Arrow Studio) |
 | The Girl in the Window | $2.99 | 72 79% | 2.2k | $6.5k (exactly $6,458) | Dark Dome Studios | |
 | Secrets of Salem: The Phantom Cab Collector's Edition | $11.99 | 16 62% | 480 | $5.8k (exactly $5,755) | Do Games Limited | |
 | Briefcase | $3.99 | 39 100% | 1.2k | $4.7k (exactly $4,668) | Yuri Antunes | |
 | Secrets of Salem: Shadow of the Witch Collector's Edition | $8.99 | 13 84% | 390 | $3.5k (exactly $3,506) | Do Games Limited | |
 | Stellar Mess: Operation Kush (Chapter 2) | $5.99 | 19 100% | 570 | $3.4k (exactly $3,414) | Tibba Games | |
 | Detective Club: Missing in the Fog Collector's Edition | $8.99 | 11 45% | 330 | $3.0k (exactly $2,967) | Do Games Limited |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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