Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Post-apocalyptic

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Post-apocalyptic

Of 53 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 77 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $100k, ×160 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 77 games are announced against 32 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 15% on the market, 77 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Post-apocalyptic
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 53
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.1k → $748 → $1.9k → $449 → $2.0k → $479 → $1.8k (still earning) → $629 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Post-apocalyptic: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 53
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $897 (exactly $897)
Top 25% $4.4k (exactly $4,404)
Top 5% $101k (exactly $100,543)
Developers, 2 yr 53
Released games 157
Announced 77
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 15% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets
Post-apocalyptic
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 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
Hidden Object; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Action
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 3D, First-Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 75% positive over 2,399 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $900, 1 in 4 over $4.4k, 1 in 20 over $100k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 25 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 77 games are announced against 32 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 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
The Silent Age older $9.99 5,966 93% 179k $1.8M (exactly $1,788,010) House On Fire
35MM older $8.99 3,508 71% 105k $946k (exactly $946,108) Носков Сергей
Echoes of the Living · EA $24.99 1,005 83% 30k $753k (exactly $753,448) MoonGlint Studio
The Bunker older $14.99 1,644 69% 49k $739k (exactly $739,307) Splendy Interactive, Wales Interactive
Cyanide & Happiness - Freakpocalypse (Episode 1) older $19.99 963 52% 29k $578k (exactly $577,511) Explosm, Skeleton Crew Studios
The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day older $9.99 1,680 76% 50k $503k (exactly $503,496) ComonGames
ABYSS OF THE SACRIFICE older $39.99 238 81% 7.1k $286k (exactly $285,529) INTENSE
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
The Last FARMER $12.99 258 56% 7.7k $101k (exactly $100,543) Geekon
Daymare Town $24.99 117 98% 3.5k $88k (exactly $87,715) Mateusz Skutnik
Frozen Ship · EA $19.99 142 76% 4.3k $85k (exactly $85,157) Nionetix
60 Minutes to Extinction: Escape Room $7.99 153 82% 4.6k $37k (exactly $36,674) mc2games
Dreadway $6.99 101 67% 3.0k $21k (exactly $21,180) ZweiBier Indie
RECORD_DrowsyVortex $9.99 54 100% 1.6k $16k (exactly $16,184) LunarHillz
RUNT $9.99 49 79% 1.5k $15k (exactly $14,685) Grimtaste Studios
SIGNAL: Uncharted Lands $4.99 57 98% 1.7k $8.5k (exactly $8,533) HmarkaTeam

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