Should I ship a Dog Idler?
Idler + Dogs
Of 30 developers who shipped a Dog Idler 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.. 29 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $720, ×1.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $190k, ×404 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 29 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $299 (exactly $299) |
|---|---|
| Median | $718 (exactly $718) |
| Top 25% | $5.0k (exactly $5,027) |
| Top 5% | $192k (exactly $191,915) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 30 |
| Released games | 47 |
| Announced | 29 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 95% on the market, supply 135% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Automation, Incremental
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $5.99 or above
- Art
- 9 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $5.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 5,692 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 5 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + Hack and SlashFair
- + DrivingFair
- + LootFair
- + FPSFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Dynamic NarrationFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + SwordplayFair
Comparable games
Maltese's Fluffy Onsen 2025 · $490k 
Lyca 2025 · $192k 
Not Monday Cafe 2025 · $145k 
Desk Paws 2025 · $83k 
Typing Farmer 2026 · $61k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Maltese's Fluffy Onsen | $5.99 | 2,727 94% | 82k | $490k (exactly $490,042) | Sinkhole Studio, Moonlab Studio | |
| | Lyca | $4.99 | 1,282 81% | 38k | $192k (exactly $191,915) | Syphono4 | |
| | Not Monday Cafe | $8.99 | 539 94% | 16k | $145k (exactly $145,368) | Sunny Syrup Studio | |
| | Desk Paws | $5.99 | 463 86% | 14k | $83k (exactly $83,201) | GinkgoGames | |
| | Typing Farmer | $4.99 | 410 87% | 12k | $61k (exactly $61,377) | MilkwayStudio | |
 | Sons Of The Dream Forest | · EA older | $4.99 | 318 9% | 9.5k | $48k (exactly $47,605) | SimulatorLife |
 | Furry Company | $5.99 | 133 80% | 4.0k | $24k (exactly $23,900) | Dreamscape Studio | |
 | Puppy Park | $4.99 | 42 59% | 1.3k | $6.3k (exactly $6,287) | TM39 | |
 | Smooth Operators 2 | older | $9.99 | 20 70% | 600 | $6.0k (exactly $5,994) | Heydeck Games |
 | Nekotype Keyboard Cat Simulator | $3.99 | 42 100% | 1.3k | $5.0k (exactly $5,027) | G-GAME | |
 | Tulip Season | $5.99 | 23 100% | 690 | $4.1k (exactly $4,133) | Poppy Labs | |
 | Desktop Pomeranian Fantasy | $2.99 | 31 87% | 930 | $2.8k (exactly $2,781) | PastelFox |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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