Do I ship it?

GamesRunnerRunner + Dogs

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dog Runner?

Runner + Dogs

Only 14 developers shipped a Dog Runner in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, NiuMa, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 11 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $210 in the last 2 years and $420 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 9 developers shipped in the last year and 11 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 11 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Runner + Dogs
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 14
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $449 → $119 → $419 (still earning) → $120 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Runner + Dogs: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 14
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $210 (exactly $210)
Top 25% $450 (exactly $450)
Top 5% $47k (exactly $47,261)
Developers, 2 yr 14
Released games 37
Announced 11
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 flat on the market, supply 80% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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.

Runner
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
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
Runner; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Combat, Level Editor
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Colorful, 2D, Cartoon
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 323 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $210, 1 in 4 over $450, 1 in 20 over $47k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 11 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + LootFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 10 announced
  2. + Local MultiplayerFair23 devs · median $1.3k · 30 announced
  3. + PsychologicalFair14 devs · median $839 · 12 announced
  4. + IdlerFair16 devs · median $838 · 8 announced
  5. + Visual NovelFair12 devs · median $750 · 11 announced
  6. + Time AttackFair15 devs · median $599 · 10 announced
  7. + FPSLong shot39 devs · median $958 · 43 announced
  8. + 4 Player LocalPoor odds12 devs · median $2.4k · 16 announced
  9. + MusicPoor odds16 devs · median $1.2k · 20 announced
  10. + Co-opPoor odds38 devs · median $1.0k · 64 announced
  11. + Online Co-OpPoor odds40 devs · median $898 · 64 announced
  12. + Interactive FictionPoor odds10 devs · median $839 · 16 announced

All 123 pairs on the Runner page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Montaro older $0.99 10,625 94% 319k $316k (exactly $315,562) JCKSLAP
Turbo Pug older $1.99 2,234 92% 67k $133k (exactly $133,370) Space Cat Studios, SnowFlame, Back To B… (Space Cat Studios, SnowFlame, Back To Basics Gaming)
NiuMa $5.99 263 91% 7.9k $47k (exactly $47,261) Game Star
Montaro RE older $0.99 1,195 95% 36k $35k (exactly $35,492) JCKSLAP, Sherlerk, 我師父的徒兒, Eazie
Turbo Pug DX older $1.99 430 84% 13k $26k (exactly $25,671) SnowFlame, Back To Basics Gaming
Nebula Flow $17.99 37 97% 1.1k $20k (exactly $19,969) After Nap Games
Cyber-doge 2077: Meme runner older $1.99 134 94% 4.0k $8.0k (exactly $8,000) Take Toad
Barking Puzzle older $4.99 29 72% 870 $4.3k (exactly $4,341) Fenous
Rescue: The Beagles older $9.99 14 100% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) Nenad Jalsovec
Superfetch Dog older $5.99 16 87% 480 $2.9k (exactly $2,875) PUNKCAKE Delicieux
Raining Cats and Dogs $5.99 10 80% 300 $1.8k (exactly $1,797) JustJeff
Bedrooms on the Moon $5.00 3 100% 90 $450 (exactly $450) Cowardlion
FastCato $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Dominik Palenik
Fidget Widget $6.99 2 100% 60 $419 (exactly $419) tatsumaki games
Super Pump $6.99 1 100% 30 $210 (exactly $210) Full Yard Labs
Agility Game $3.99 1 0% 30 $120 (exactly $120) Bookdragon development
Runaway Dog $3.99 1 100% 30 $120 (exactly $120) d3m0 sanches
Disconnect $1.99 2 0% 60 $119 (exactly $119) J_C

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