Do I ship it?

GamesSouls-likeSouls-like + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object Souls-like?

Souls-like + Hidden Object

Only 18 developers shipped a Hidden Object Souls-like 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, Stonemachia, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270. 21 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper, while revenue is up 65% on the market.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 65% on the market, 21 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Souls-like + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 18
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.0k → $2.5k → $598 → $2.3k → $359 → $450 → $1.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Souls-like + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 18
Bottom 30% $270 (exactly $270)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Top 5% $746k (exactly $746,027)
Developers, 2 yr 18
Released games 42
Announced 21
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 up 65% on the market, supply 40% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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.

Souls-like
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
Souls-like, Hidden Object; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Action, Adventure
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Anime, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 1,430 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $450, 1 in 4 over $1.3k, 1 in 20 over $740k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. All of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds17 devs · median $34k · 8 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair13 devs · median $22k · 17 announced
  4. + JRPGFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  6. + PsychologicalFair17 devs · median $1.8k · 17 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerLong shot49 devs · median $776 · 46 announced
  9. + Score AttackLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  10. + WarPoor odds8 devs · median $451k · 22 announced
  11. + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds12 devs · median $88k · 21 announced
  12. + RomancePoor odds10 devs · median $35k · 16 announced

All 122 pairs on the Souls-like page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Stonemachia $19.99 1,244 95% 37k $746k (exactly $746,027) Crossfall Games
Astronite older $14.99 165 70% 5.0k $74k (exactly $74,200) Dume Games Studio
爆裂!スイーツランド - PANIC IN SWEETS LAND - older $24.99 24 66% 720 $18k (exactly $17,993) Sonic Powered Co.,Ltd.
Тёмное отражение (Dark Reflection) older $4.99 59 91% 1.8k $8.8k (exactly $8,832) Slay Buherman
MiSa $4.99 58 65% 1.7k $8.7k (exactly $8,683) Hero
JimmyCraft older $4.99 34 100% 1.0k $5.1k (exactly $5,090) Happysoft Interactive
NO Logic older $2.99 40 87% 1.2k $3.6k (exactly $3,588) Zeneki
Castle of Lord Velimir older $13.99 7 57% 210 $2.9k (exactly $2,938) GM hack
Elf Adventure: The Lost Castle $6.99 14 28% 420 $2.9k (exactly $2,936) 430Games
Grot Slasher older $9.99 9 88% 270 $2.7k (exactly $2,697) Phoenixxx Games
SKUF BACKROOMS $0.99 78 58% 2.3k $2.3k (exactly $2,317) akhsotoen
Master Knight $3.99 11 72% 330 $1.3k (exactly $1,317) DIG Games
Sylva - Curse of the Demon Woods $6.99 6 100% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) Alessandro Castiglione
My Hidden Dreams $7.99 4 100% 120 $959 (exactly $959) SIXDOTS
Hoku Shrine · EA $9.99 3 66% 90 $899 (exactly $899) Ibragim Shaipov
DarkShine · EA $3.00 5 100% 150 $450 (exactly $450) DScorp
GlizzySouls · EA $1.99 7 85% 210 $418 (exactly $418) Mark W

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