Do I ship it?

GamesRTSRTS + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object RTS?

RTS + Hidden Object

Only 12 developers shipped a Hidden Object RTS in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, FolkOrigin, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 9 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $980, ×0.7 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120. Revenue is down 75% on the market, with 9 games announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 9 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
RTS + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $0 → $980 → $3.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for RTS + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $980 (exactly $980)
Top 25% $4.4k (exactly $4,404)
Top 5% $8.6k (exactly $8,629)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 30
Announced 9
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 down 75% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

RTS
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
RTS, Hidden Object
Price point
$4.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 85% positive over 158 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $980, 1 in 4 over $4.4k, 1 in 20 over $8.6k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 9 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomeFair12 devs · median $64k · 13 announced
  2. + Outbreak SimFair16 devs · median $2.6k · 14 announced
  3. + HorrorFair20 devs · median $2.4k · 27 announced
  4. + NavalFair15 devs · median $2.4k · 21 announced
  5. + TabletopFair25 devs · median $1.9k · 33 announced
  6. + SportsLong shot19 devs · median $861 · 9 announced
  7. + PuzzleLong shot48 devs · median $479 · 40 announced
  8. + World War IIPoor odds23 devs · median $105k · 38 announced
  9. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds28 devs · median $64k · 41 announced
  10. + Open WorldPoor odds45 devs · median $35k · 100 announced
  11. + Colony SimPoor odds87 devs · median $31k · 159 announced
  12. + HistoricalPoor odds108 devs · median $30k · 180 announced

All 149 pairs on the RTS page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Pixel Pirate older $24.99 14 78% 420 $10k (exactly $10,496) Stas Paty9mkin
FolkOrigin $7.99 36 88% 1.1k $8.6k (exactly $8,629) LukaszD
Wet beach adventure $3.99 38 86% 1.1k $4.5k (exactly $4,549) Inspite, Bow GFA
Primage · EA $6.99 21 76% 630 $4.4k (exactly $4,404) Fadzior
Drag'N Dungeon $9.99 11 90% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Demon Girl
WET $4.99 13 84% 390 $1.9k (exactly $1,946) SUPER HYPER MEGA
Bananarun older $4.99 7 100% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Emil Leijon
The Memological Dungeon $0.99 33 90% 990 $980 (exactly $980) Gamesforfarm
Base Raid older $4.99 6 83% 180 $898 (exactly $898) Sageose
Relictor · EA $9.99 2 50% 60 $599 (exactly $599) AIMTeam
WET VR $4.99 2 100% 60 $299 (exactly $299) SUPER HYPER MEGA
Black Signal $4.99 1 0% 30 $150 (exactly $150) Matthew Lalande
Streamlands: Defense $3.99 1 100% 30 $120 (exactly $120) NGD Studios

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