Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Female Protagonist

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Female-Led Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Female Protagonist

Of 172 developers who shipped a Female-Led 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.. 209 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×328 the market median. Revenue is up 10% on the market; 209 games are announced against 95 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 10% on the market, 209 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Female Protagonist
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 172
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.7k → $2.8k → $897 → $1.4k → $1.5k → $564 → $1.2k (still earning) → $1.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Female Protagonist: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 172
Bottom 30% $360 (exactly $360)
Median $1.2k (exactly $1,199)
Top 25% $6.0k (exactly $5,994)
Top 5% $156k (exactly $155,973)
Developers, 2 yr 172
Released games 844
Announced 209
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 up 10% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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
Female Protagonist
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 Exploration, Adventure, Puzzle
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 8,496 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.2k, 1 in 4 over $5.9k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 9 in 10 of the 131 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 209 games are announced against 95 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

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. + DogsFair35 devs · median $1.5k · 18 announced
  6. + RomanceFair60 devs · median $1.5k · 48 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  8. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  9. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  10. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  12. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 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
Fran Bow older $14.99 20,579 97% 617k $9.3M (exactly $9,254,376) Killmonday Games AB
The Mortuary Assistant older $24.99 7,269 92% 218k $5.4M (exactly $5,449,569) DarkStone Digital
Agent A: A puzzle in disguise older $19.99 5,901 95% 177k $3.5M (exactly $3,538,830) Yak & Co
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery older $12.99 4,966 94% 149k $1.9M (exactly $1,935,250) Silver Lining Studio
Syberia older $12.99 3,919 89% 118k $1.5M (exactly $1,527,234) Microids
Syberia 3 older $14.99 3,231 51% 97k $1.5M (exactly $1,452,981) Microids
The Gardens Between older $19.99 2,362 93% 71k $1.4M (exactly $1,416,491) The Voxel Agents
When The Past Was Around older $7.99 3,924 94% 118k $941k (exactly $940,583) Mojiken
Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders older $14.99 2,037 80% 61k $916k (exactly $916,039) Artefacts Studio
Taiji older $24.99 1,135 92% 34k $851k (exactly $850,910) Matthew VanDevander
Camper Van: Make it Home $14.99 1,150 91% 35k $517k (exactly $517,155) Malapata Studio
Organized Inside $7.99 2,024 94% 61k $485k (exactly $485,153) Meox Studio
Lunar Eclipse · EA $14.99 765 82% 23k $344k (exactly $344,020) Black Rabbit's Tales
Shattered Divinities $9.99 906 94% 27k $272k (exactly $271,528) 星魂游戏
NO-SKIN $6.99 1,227 95% 37k $257k (exactly $257,302) NoEye-Soft
Elroy and the Aliens $17.99 463 97% 14k $250k (exactly $249,881) Motiviti
Leila $11.99 551 86% 17k $198k (exactly $198,195) Ubik Studios
True Fear: Forsaken Souls Part 3 $9.99 650 92% 20k $195k (exactly $194,805) Goblinz Enterprises Ltd
Koira $17.99 289 93% 8.7k $156k (exactly $155,973) Studio Tolima
Tales of the Moon $9.99 471 93% 14k $141k (exactly $141,159) Cella

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