Games › Open World › Open World + Hidden Object
Should I ship a Hidden Object Open World game?
Open World + Hidden Object
Of 116 developers who shipped a Hidden Object Open World 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.. 143 more are announced, ×2.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $900, ×0.6 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240. 143 games are announced against 70 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.0 per shipper, while revenue is down 15% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $899 (exactly $899) |
| Top 25% | $3.3k (exactly $3,293) |
| Top 5% | $31k (exactly $31,050) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 116 |
| Released games | 363 |
| Announced | 143 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $5.95 |
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 15% on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Open World
- effort 8 / 10 · low · effort 8 sits in the low band
- Hidden Object
- effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- Open World, Hidden Object; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Simulation
- Price point
- $5.95 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $5.95.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 2,638 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 65 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 143 games are announced against 70 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Open World with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + WuxiaFair
- + 4 Player LocalFair
- + VampiresFair
- + TrainsFair
- + FMVFair
- + GothicFair
- + MarsFair
- + TanksFair
- + FaithLong shot
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
Comparable games
Witch It 2020 · $8.7M 
Quern - Undying Thoughts 2016 · $2.9M 
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley 2024 · $2.0M 
Syberia 3 2017 · $1.5M 
IMMORTALITY 2022 · $1.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Witch It | older | $19.99 | 14,540 89% | 436k | $8.7M (exactly $8,719,638) | Barrel Roll Games |
| | Quern - Undying Thoughts | older | $24.99 | 3,812 90% | 114k | $2.9M (exactly $2,857,856) | Zadbox Entertainment |
| | Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley | older | $19.99 | 3,369 97% | 101k | $2.0M (exactly $2,020,389) | Hyper Games |
| | Syberia 3 | older | $14.99 | 3,231 51% | 97k | $1.5M (exactly $1,452,981) | Microids |
| | IMMORTALITY | older | $19.99 | 1,768 84% | 53k | $1.1M (exactly $1,060,270) | Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid |
 | Obenseuer | · EA older | $19.99 | 1,684 94% | 51k | $1.0M (exactly $1,009,895) | Loiste Interactive |
 | 35MM | older | $8.99 | 3,508 71% | 105k | $946k (exactly $946,108) | Носков Сергей |
 | Taiji | older | $24.99 | 1,135 92% | 34k | $851k (exactly $850,910) | Matthew VanDevander |
 | Russian Village Simulator | older | $29.99 | 889 84% | 27k | $800k (exactly $799,833) | VD Games, PropilGames |
 | Approximately Up | $24.99 | 995 93% | 30k | $746k (exactly $745,952) | Approximately Games | |
 | Afterinfection | $8.99 | 463 56% | 14k | $125k (exactly $124,871) | RePatrick21 | |
 | BodyRecords | · EA | $6.99 | 581 70% | 17k | $122k (exactly $121,836) | MIROWIN |
 | Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island | $24.99 | 104 93% | 3.1k | $78k (exactly $77,969) | Polygon Treehouse | |
 | 30 Birds | $17.99 | 138 96% | 4.1k | $74k (exactly $74,479) | RAM RAM Games, Business Goose Studios | |
 | no signal | $15.00 | 69 98% | 2.1k | $31k (exactly $31,050) | exodrifter | |
 | Bigfoot Life | $12.99 | 62 75% | 1.9k | $24k (exactly $24,161) | Planet 47 Games | |
 | 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 |
 | Townframe | $6.99 | 106 94% | 3.2k | $22k (exactly $22,228) | norrimo | |
 | Twilight Tails | $16.99 | 43 51% | 1.3k | $22k (exactly $21,917) | Prokopchuk Pavlo |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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