Do I ship it?

GamesFPSFPS + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object FPS?

FPS + Hidden Object

Of 121 developers who shipped a Hidden Object FPS 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.. 121 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×0.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $27k, ×18 the market median. Revenue is up 10% on the market; 121 games are announced against 65 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 10% on the market, 121 announced, ×1.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
FPS + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 121
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.0k → $836 → $537 → $2.7k → $980 → $200 → $599 (still earning) → $716 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for FPS + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 121
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $598 (exactly $598)
Top 25% $2.7k (exactly $2,697)
Top 5% $28k (exactly $27,566)
Developers, 2 yr 121
Released games 323
Announced 121
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 10% 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

FPS
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
FPS, Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Action
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 4,273 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $2.6k, 1 in 20 over $27k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 70 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 121 games are announced against 65 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + LGBTQ+Fair28 devs · median $32k · 22 announced
  2. + Dating SimFair47 devs · median $19k · 36 announced
  3. + IdlerFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  4. + GamblingFair24 devs · median $4.1k · 22 announced
  5. + FaithFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 12 announced
  6. + Precision PlatformerFair37 devs · median $1.6k · 38 announced
  7. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $1.4k · 12 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair172 devs · median $1.2k · 190 announced
  9. + RunnerLong shot39 devs · median $958 · 43 announced
  10. + Action RTSLong shot16 devs · median $899 · 21 announced
  11. + Bullet HellLong shot130 devs · median $629 · 145 announced
  12. + DogsLong shot6 devs · median $594 · 7 announced

All 216 pairs on the FPS page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
In Sound Mind older $34.99 5,467 95% 164k $5.7M (exactly $5,738,710) We Create Stuff
35MM older $8.99 3,508 71% 105k $946k (exactly $946,108) Носков Сергей
Neighbors: Suburban Warfare · EA $9.99 1,906 66% 57k $571k (exactly $571,228) Invisible Walls
[Chilla's Art] The Closing Shift | 閉店事件 older $5.99 2,963 87% 89k $532k (exactly $532,451) Chilla's Art
Prehistoric Hunt · EA older $17.99 678 84% 20k $366k (exactly $365,917) Antiproto Studios
LIFE EFFECT Survival · EA $14.99 488 85% 15k $219k (exactly $219,454) LIFE EFFECT
Afterinfection $8.99 463 56% 14k $125k (exactly $124,871) RePatrick21
Dead District: Survival older $9.99 415 48% 12k $124k (exactly $124,376) BadBit Games
Devilated $19.99 163 85% 4.9k $98k (exactly $97,751) Trunka
Tomboy Adventure older $11.99 243 92% 7.3k $87k (exactly $87,407) gcBronze
Hachishakusama | 八尺様がいた夏休み $7.44 388 94% 12k $87k (exactly $86,602) Fukachi World
5 NIGHTS AT SHALUN 4: SCHOOL $1.99 535 93% 16k $32k (exactly $31,940) Team GZ, VADIM CHURILOV
Absolute-Full-Life $14.99 68 76% 2.0k $31k (exactly $30,580) The Only Way Out
Cleaning Simulator $7.99 115 64% 3.5k $28k (exactly $27,566) Damaged Games
Mortanis Prisoners $12.99 70 80% 2.1k $27k (exactly $27,279) Alexey Bulgakov, Vladimir Zlobin
Sniper Camouflage Orange Spy Warrior I Buried Two Bodies in the Garden and the Police Haven't Figured Out Yet That They're Missing Because They Were a Lonely Old Couple Who Had No Relatives Simulator 2026 · EA $9.99 77 66% 2.3k $23k (exactly $23,077) The Only Way Out

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