Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Dogs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dog Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Dogs

Of 35 developers who shipped a Dog Hidden Object 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.. 18 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×3.2 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $540. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 18 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 30% on the market, 18 announced, ×0.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Dogs
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 35
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $449 → $4.7k → $2.1k → $1.4k → $897 → $1.3k (still earning) → $598 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Dogs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 35
Bottom 30% $535 (exactly $535)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Top 25% $5.7k (exactly $5,651)
Top 5% $21k (exactly $21,279)
Developers, 2 yr 35
Released games 142
Announced 18
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $1.99

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 30% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
Dogs
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
Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
Price point
$1.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Atmospheric, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $1.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 778 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $5.6k, 1 in 20 over $21k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 9 in 10 of the 25 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Hidden Object with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  2. + Level EditorFair12 devs · median $7.6k · 14 announced
  3. + Dating SimFair46 devs · median $3.5k · 41 announced
  4. + CatsFair128 devs · median $1.5k · 160 announced
  5. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  6. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  7. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  8. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  9. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  10. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  11. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 announced
  12. + CookingFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 announced

All 188 pairs on the Hidden Object page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Sunset Hills older $17.99 451 61% 14k $243k (exactly $243,405) Cotton Game
Koira $17.99 289 93% 8.7k $156k (exactly $155,973) Studio Tolima
Inspector Waffles older $12.99 223 95% 6.7k $87k (exactly $86,903) Goloso Games
Anglerfish older $9.99 271 82% 8.1k $81k (exactly $81,219) Professional Villains
Baisu older $9.99 183 77% 5.5k $55k (exactly $54,845) Tripleducks studio
Putt-Putt® Goes to the Moon older $6.99 184 94% 5.5k $39k (exactly $38,585) Humongous Entertainment
FIND ALL 2: Middle Ages older $1.99 463 94% 14k $28k (exactly $27,641) Very Very LITTLE Studio
100 hidden cats 2 older $0.99 920 93% 28k $27k (exactly $27,324) Anatoliy Loginovskikh
Tell Me Your Story older $9.99 84 65% 2.5k $25k (exactly $25,175) RedDeer.Games
Along Together older $14.99 55 90% 1.7k $25k (exactly $24,734) Turbo Button
Finding Polka $9.99 71 100% 2.1k $21k (exactly $21,279) lidlocks
Dawg Game $3.99 104 98% 3.1k $12k (exactly $12,449) Big Noses Entertainment
Woolly Boy and the Circus $7.99 42 64% 1.3k $10k (exactly $10,067) big pineapple
SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands $4.99 57 98% 1.7k $8.5k (exactly $8,533) HmarkaTeam
The PARADOGX Incident $10.99 25 92% 750 $8.2k (exactly $8,242) Artibex
Hidden Dogs $4.99 53 98% 1.6k $7.9k (exactly $7,934) Admiral Egg Games
MUBOSAMA $4.99 50 90% 1.5k $7.5k (exactly $7,485) LuuuLuuuL
ニコニコさん | Niconico-san $2.99 63 96% 1.9k $5.7k (exactly $5,651) TI-BA
101 Cute Dogs: Find & Paint $4.99 24 79% 720 $3.6k (exactly $3,593) Cozy Pixel

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