Games › Hidden Object › Hidden Object + Match 3
Should I ship a Match 3 Hidden Object?
Hidden Object + Match 3
Of 35 developers who shipped a Match 3 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.. 15 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 2 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $120 for a 2 / 10 build. 20 developers shipped in the last year and 15 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $119 (exactly $119) |
|---|---|
| Median | $359 (exactly $359) |
| Top 25% | $809 (exactly $809) |
| Top 5% | $2.9k (exactly $2,878) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 35 |
| Released games | 267 |
| Announced | 15 |
| Effort | 2 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 10% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 3%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Match 3
- effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades
What it takes
- Effort
- 2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
- Systems
- Hidden Object, Match 3; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Point & Click, Adventure
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Family Friendly
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 97 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $120. Nearly all of the 45 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 15 games are announced against 20 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Hidden Object with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + Level EditorFair
- + Dating SimFair
- + CatsFair
- + DogsFair
- + RomanceFair
- + FlightFair
- + City BuilderFair
- + SimulationFair
- + UnderwaterFair
- + Word GameFair
- + Point & ClickFair
Comparable games
Minesweeper: Collector 2020 · $32k 
Cave Quest 2020 · $25k 
Storm Tale 2 2021 · $22k 
Cave Quest 2 2021 · $20k 
Jewel Match Origins - Palais Imperial Collector's Edition 2021 · $18k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Minesweeper: Collector | older | $7.99 | 132 88% | 4.0k | $32k (exactly $31,640) | Anton Kryukov |
| | Cave Quest | older | $9.99 | 84 94% | 2.5k | $25k (exactly $25,175) | MD Studio |
| | Storm Tale 2 | older | $9.99 | 74 89% | 2.2k | $22k (exactly $22,178) | Green Sauce Games |
| | Cave Quest 2 | older | $12.99 | 52 92% | 1.6k | $20k (exactly $20,264) | MD Studio |
| | Jewel Match Origins - Palais Imperial Collector's Edition | older | $9.99 | 59 89% | 1.8k | $18k (exactly $17,682) | Suricate Software |
 | PumPum 2 | older | $3.99 | 143 83% | 4.3k | $17k (exactly $17,117) | Shmoops Games |
 | Mystika 3 : Awakening of the dragons | older | $5.99 | 72 93% | 2.2k | $13k (exactly $12,938) | Unikgame |
 | Jewel Match Twilight 3 Collector's Edition | older | $9.99 | 42 95% | 1.3k | $13k (exactly $12,587) | Suricate Software |
 | Jewel Match Dracula Collector's Edition | $13.99 | 28 89% | 840 | $12k (exactly $11,752) | Suricate Software | |
 | Endless mahjong | older | $34.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $10k (exactly $10,497) | ZenTile Games |
 | Seven Seas Jewels 2 Collector's Edition | $15.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $2.9k (exactly $2,878) | Anawiki Games | |
 | Amazing Weekend 2 - Search and Relax Collector's Edition | $7.99 | 7 100% | 210 | $1.7k (exactly $1,678) | Avi Games | |
 | Jixo: The Season of Joy Collector's Edition | $9.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $1.5k (exactly $1,498) | MixoGames Ltd. | |
 | Hentai Merge Dice | $1.99 | 25 80% | 750 | $1.5k (exactly $1,492) | theNeko | |
 | Gem Tales | $9.99 | 4 50% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | Kasual Kode | |
 | Jixo 3: Hidden Horizons Collector's Edition | $9.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $1.2k (exactly $1,199) | MixoGames Ltd. | |
 | Dual Discovery: Unite Challenge 寻踪觅影：合二为一 | $3.99 | 10 70% | 300 | $1.2k (exactly $1,197) | Happy Fish | |
 | Maze of Realities: Synergy of Worlds Collector's Edition | $8.99 | 4 50% | 120 | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) | Do Games Limited | |
 | Home for Friends: Beloved Pets Collector's Edition | $8.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $1.1k (exactly $1,079) | Do Games Limited |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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