Do I ship it?

GamesStrategyStrategy + Fishing

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Fishing Strategy game?

Strategy + Fishing

Of 43 developers who shipped a Fishing Strategy game 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.3k, ×3.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $270k, ×437 the market median. Revenue is up 145% on the market; 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 145% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy + Fishing
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 43
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $776 → $90 → $52k → $2.2k → $2.7k → $269 → $8.1k (still earning) → $21k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy + Fishing: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 43
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $2.3k (exactly $2,250)
Top 25% $34k (exactly $34,177)
Top 5% $274k (exactly $274,400)
Developers, 2 yr 43
Released games 86
Announced 67
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 145% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Strategy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Fishing
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Strategy, Fishing; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Management, Simulation, Economy
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 8,104 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $2.3k, 1 in 4 over $34k, 1 in 20 over $270k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 25 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds50 devs · median $65k · 27 announced
  2. + Job SimulatorFair62 devs · median $16k · 74 announced
  3. + BaseballFair14 devs · median $7.5k · 7 announced
  4. + LGBTQ+Fair89 devs · median $6.7k · 91 announced
  5. + WuxiaFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 41 announced
  6. + FarmingFair44 devs · median $4.3k · 42 announced
  7. + Martial ArtsFair81 devs · median $3.0k · 94 announced
  8. + SubmarineFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 23 announced
  9. + NavalFair66 devs · median $2.2k · 88 announced
  10. + IdlerFair696 devs · median $1.9k · 988 announced
  11. + Shop KeeperFair159 devs · median $1.8k · 264 announced
  12. + HackingFair96 devs · median $1.2k · 132 announced

All 275 pairs on the Strategy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Feed and Grow: Fish · EA older $14.99 20,750 78% 623k $9.3M (exactly $9,331,275) Old B1ood
Megaquarium older $24.99 3,444 95% 103k $2.6M (exactly $2,581,967) Twice Circled
Moonstone Island older $19.99 4,063 84% 122k $2.4M (exactly $2,436,581) Studio Supersoft
Go-Go Town! $27.99 2,476 93% 74k $2.1M (exactly $2,079,097) Prideful Sloth
Fishing Sim World®: Pro Tour older $19.99 945 80% 28k $567k (exactly $566,716) Dovetail Games
Seablip · EA older $14.99 1,078 81% 32k $485k (exactly $484,777) Jardar Solli
Shoppe Keep 2 older $9.99 1,527 57% 46k $458k (exactly $457,642) Strange Fire
Ecosystem $19.99 601 76% 18k $360k (exactly $360,420) Tom Johnson
Fishing Inc $4.99 1,833 91% 55k $274k (exactly $274,400) BigBonk Studio
Retreat To Enen older $24.99 340 62% 10k $255k (exactly $254,898) Head West
Captain Whiskers: Incremental Seas $5.99 886 85% 27k $159k (exactly $159,214) Happy Universe Studios
Creator Chronicles $11.99 424 64% 13k $153k (exactly $152,513) Origin Studio
Lakeside Bar $5.99 820 86% 25k $147k (exactly $147,354) BITCOVER
MR FARMBOY $9.99 480 85% 14k $144k (exactly $143,856) mrdboy
Hungry Horrors · EA $14.99 209 98% 6.3k $94k (exactly $93,987) Clumsy Bear Studio
Idle Waters $4.99 349 94% 10k $52k (exactly $52,245) Ignita Games
Shujinkou $59.99 26 92% 780 $47k (exactly $46,792) Rice Games Inc

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