Do I ship it?

GamesHidden ObjectHidden Object + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance Hidden Object?

Hidden Object + Romance

Of 60 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 48 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×13 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $450. Revenue is up 220% on the market; 48 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 12.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 220% on the market, 48 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hidden Object + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 60
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.4k → $4.2k → $3.2k → $1.5k → $1.5k → $1.2k → $898 (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hidden Object + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 60
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,497)
Top 25% $6.9k (exactly $6,886)
Top 5% $205k (exactly $204,614)
Developers, 2 yr 60
Released games 337
Announced 48
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $2.99

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 220% on the market, supply 50% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Hidden Object; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Dating Sim, Visual Novel, Adventure
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Funny, Anime
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 3,735 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $6.8k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 79 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 48 games are announced against 40 developers who shipped in the last year.

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. + FlightFair9 devs · median $1.3k · 10 announced
  7. + City BuilderFair16 devs · median $1.3k · 20 announced
  8. + SimulationFair475 devs · median $1.2k · 555 announced
  9. + UnderwaterFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 19 announced
  10. + Word GameFair29 devs · median $1.2k · 26 announced
  11. + Point & ClickFair470 devs · median $1.2k · 502 announced
  12. + CookingFair25 devs · median $1.0k · 20 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
Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer older $19.99 1,809 93% 54k $1.1M (exactly $1,084,857) Elf, Shiravune
When The Past Was Around older $7.99 3,924 94% 118k $941k (exactly $940,583) Mojiken
Spooky Milk Life · EA $11.99 1,216 74% 36k $437k (exactly $437,395) MangoMango, Studio Ginkgo
Secret Pie (Adult Version) older $5.99 2,261 85% 68k $406k (exactly $406,302) Momentum Games
Foolish Mortals $19.99 663 94% 20k $398k (exactly $397,601) Inklingwood Studios
√Letter - Root Letter - older $19.99 551 78% 17k $330k (exactly $330,435) DRAGAMI GAMES, LTD.
Black Lily's Tale older $18.99 438 86% 13k $250k (exactly $249,529) 1000-REKA
Hotel Tales $14.99 455 80% 14k $205k (exactly $204,614) TopHouse Studio
Umfend older $9.99 653 90% 20k $196k (exactly $195,704) AIHASTO
DDinosaur with Double D's $6.99 771 97% 23k $162k (exactly $161,679) Kud
Our Home · EA $12.99 133 72% 4.0k $52k (exactly $51,830) Old Hiccup ™
Ghostwriter Workshop $10.99 137 94% 4.1k $45k (exactly $45,169) 秘密結社マテンロウ計画, Studio Dragonet
Sex Apartment 2: Grand Hotel $9.99 81 71% 2.4k $24k (exactly $24,276) Dreamers Workshop
Sex Apartment 💫 $4.99 150 62% 4.5k $22k (exactly $22,455) Dreamers Workshop
Ladies, Don’t Tempt My Immortality $10.99 57 89% 1.7k $19k (exactly $18,793) 蒸汽满满工作室
Spellbound Beauties $6.99 72 83% 2.2k $15k (exactly $15,098) Lunar Kiss Games

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