Do I ship it?

GamesJob SimulatorJob Simulator + Horror

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Horror Job Simulator?

Job Simulator + Horror

Of 20 developers who shipped a Horror Job Simulator 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.. 31 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $8.6k, ×18 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.5k; 1 in 20 cleared $93k, ×197 the market median. Revenue is up 270% on the market; 31 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 18.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 270% on the market, 31 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Job Simulator + Horror
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20

not enough cohorts to draw

Outcomes for Job Simulator + Horror: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $1.5k (exactly $1,497)
Median $8.6k (exactly $8,629)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $12,860)
Top 5% $94k (exactly $93,553)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 28
Announced 31
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 270% on the market, supply 200% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Job Simulator
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Horror
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Job Simulator; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Choices Matter, Multiple Endings
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 749 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.5k, median $8.6k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $93k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.5k. All of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Job Simulator with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationStrong odds36 devs · median $57k · 31 announced
  2. + NatureStrong odds21 devs · median $38k · 19 announced
  3. + CollectathonStrong odds33 devs · median $33k · 42 announced
  4. + BuildingStrong odds66 devs · median $28k · 70 announced
  5. + Artificial IntelligenceStrong odds18 devs · median $23k · 6 announced
  6. + Inventory ManagementStrong odds69 devs · median $15k · 62 announced
  7. + CraftingStrong odds62 devs · median $15k · 65 announced
  8. + Shop KeeperStrong odds101 devs · median $13k · 122 announced
  9. + Hidden ObjectStrong odds17 devs · median $11k · 21 announced
  10. + CapitalismFair72 devs · median $23k · 75 announced
  11. + EconomyFair116 devs · median $22k · 125 announced
  12. + Immersive SimFair152 devs · median $20k · 180 announced

All 42 pairs on the Job Simulator page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Job Simulator older $19.99 4,406 91% 132k $2.6M (exactly $2,642,278) Owlchemy Labs
Letter Lost $19.99 156 82% 4.7k $94k (exactly $93,553) FlatNine Games
Straya older $17.99 97 84% 2.9k $52k (exactly $52,351) Ayrtech
Deadly Delivery $9.99 152 89% 4.6k $46k (exactly $45,554) Flat Head Studio
Terminal 81 older $4.99 277 96% 8.3k $41k (exactly $41,467) David Pateti
Cafe DReAMLAND $12.99 99 93% 3.0k $39k (exactly $38,580) めとこ
Conductor: Eternal Service $14.99 34 64% 1.0k $15k (exactly $15,290) Beshbarmak games
Mousebusters $12.99 33 96% 990 $13k (exactly $12,860) Odencat
[Bober Bros] Last Pill Bar $5.99 68 91% 2.0k $12k (exactly $12,220) BOBER BROS
Blueman $4.99 71 92% 2.1k $11k (exactly $10,629) Ankoku
The Ice Cream Shop $4.99 63 79% 1.9k $9.4k (exactly $9,431) odwar
At Night: Haunted Ride $7.99 37 91% 1.1k $8.9k (exactly $8,869) Limeless
Sushi Simulator $7.99 36 75% 1.1k $8.6k (exactly $8,629) C51 Games

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