Games › Shop Keeper › Shop Keeper + Fantasy
Should I ship a Fantasy Shop Keeper?
Shop Keeper + Fantasy
Of 75 developers who shipped a Fantasy Shop Keeper 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.. 174 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.5k, ×7.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $620k, ×1323 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 174 games are announced against 60 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $719 (exactly $719) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.5k (exactly $3,471) |
| Top 25% | $33k (exactly $32,667) |
| Top 5% | $628k (exactly $628,231) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 75 |
| Released games | 96 |
| Announced | 174 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 80% on the market, supply 300% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Shop Keeper
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Fantasy
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Shop Keeper; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Management, Economy
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, Cozy, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 84% positive over 12,760 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 5 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 174 games are announced against 60 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Shop Keeper with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + HorrorFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + ModernFair
- + StrategyFair
- + LogicFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Strategy RPGFair
- + NaturePoor odds
- + BuildingPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
Comparable games
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale 2010 · $4.0M 
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault 2026 · $2.8M 
Tavern Manager Simulator 🍻 2024 · $1.8M 
Saleblazers 2023 · EA · $1.8M 
Teddy's Haven 2025 · EA · $1.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale | older | $19.99 | 6,684 95% | 201k | $4.0M (exactly $4,008,395) | EasyGameStation |
| | Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault | $29.99 | 3,146 80% | 94k | $2.8M (exactly $2,830,456) | Digital Sun | |
| | Tavern Manager Simulator 🍻 | older | $14.99 | 4,018 91% | 121k | $1.8M (exactly $1,806,895) | One More Time |
| | Saleblazers | · EA older | $29.99 | 1,974 78% | 59k | $1.8M (exactly $1,776,008) | AIRSTRAFE INTERACTIVE |
| | Teddy's Haven | · EA | $14.99 | 2,800 95% | 84k | $1.3M (exactly $1,259,160) | Teddy Bear Games LLC |
 | Trash Goblin | $19.99 | 1,574 87% | 47k | $944k (exactly $943,928) | Spilt Milk Studios Ltd | |
 | Tavern Talk - A Cozy Visual Novel | older | $17.99 | 1,456 87% | 44k | $786k (exactly $785,803) | Gentle Troll Entertainment |
 | Goblin Vyke: The Thief Tycoon | $14.99 | 1,397 70% | 42k | $628k (exactly $628,231) | Art Thieves | |
 | Fell & Sell | $9.99 | 1,428 84% | 43k | $428k (exactly $427,972) | Art Games Studio S.A. | |
 | Rebirth Pub | $17.99 | 700 92% | 21k | $378k (exactly $377,790) | Seikou Soft. | |
 | Potion Tycoon | $19.99 | 629 71% | 19k | $377k (exactly $377,211) | Snowhound Games | |
 | Tabletop Game Shop Simulator | $12.99 | 480 84% | 14k | $187k (exactly $187,056) | Ludogram, Knight Fever Games | |
 | Sugardew Island - Your cozy farm shop | $16.99 | 291 76% | 8.7k | $148k (exactly $148,323) | rokaplay | |
 | Cozy Keep: Farm, Craft, Manage | · EA | $14.99 | 315 93% | 9.5k | $142k (exactly $141,656) | Unbossed Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.