Do I ship it?

GamesMatch 3Match 3 + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler Match 3?

Match 3 + Idler

Only 9 developers shipped an Idler Match 3 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, Lucky Hunter, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 10 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 2 / 10 build.

Only 3 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $450 against a market of $120. 10 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 10 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Match 3 + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 9
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $0 → $150 → $60 → $449
Outcomes for Match 3 + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 9
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $449 (exactly $449)
Top 25% $2.3k (exactly $2,328)
Top 5% $74k (exactly $74,216)
Developers, 2 yr 9
Released games 69
Announced 10
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 down 40% on the market, supply 55% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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.

Match 3
effort 2 / 10 · high · grid matching rules and cascades
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Match 3, Idler
Price point
$2.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 7 games average 86% positive over 608 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $450, 1 in 4 over $2.3k, 1 in 20 over $74k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 8 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 10 games are announced against 3 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Match 3 with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Interactive FictionFair12 devs · median $4.8k · 7 announced
  2. + RomanceFair25 devs · median $1.3k · 30 announced
  3. + LGBTQ+Fair13 devs · median $1.2k · 3 announced
  4. + DemonsFair9 devs · median $779 · 4 announced
  5. + Time ManagementFair12 devs · median $748 · 7 announced
  6. + ShooterFair15 devs · median $719 · 5 announced
  7. + MagicFair35 devs · median $718 · 36 announced
  8. + Tower DefenseFair9 devs · median $599 · 9 announced
  9. + Dark FantasyFair14 devs · median $539 · 16 announced
  10. + PvPLong shot21 devs · median $505 · 29 announced
  11. + CombatLong shot13 devs · median $359 · 16 announced
  12. + DogsLong shot12 devs · median $90 · 4 announced

All 75 pairs on the Match 3 page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Wolf of Stock Street older $10.99 878 77% 26k $289k (exactly $289,477) 樹懶叫工作室, sloth gamer
LOLLIPOP! older $4.99 1,318 75% 40k $197k (exactly $197,305) 430Games, __Ja__ga__imo__
Denos City: Complete Game older $11.99 217 70% 6.5k $78k (exactly $78,055) Backhole
Lucky Hunter $5.99 413 89% 12k $74k (exactly $74,216) 159 Studio
Ink Reverie $9.99 146 74% 4.4k $44k (exactly $43,756) Rolling Cat Studio
Story of Animal Sprite older $8.99 117 89% 3.5k $32k (exactly $31,555) Lunaforge Studios
SEX Tentacles [18+] older $3.99 181 57% 5.4k $22k (exactly $21,666) Romantic Room
Love Puzzle older $1.99 295 48% 8.9k $18k (exactly $17,612) Romantic Room
Last Lovers 绿洲之爱 older $8.99 39 79% 1.2k $11k (exactly $10,518) P. G. 制作组, V.P. TEAM
Kenshō older $3.99 40 90% 1.2k $4.8k (exactly $4,788) FIFTYTWO
Toffee Cats $1.99 39 100% 1.2k $2.3k (exactly $2,328) traint
99 Games: Puzzle, Action, Strategy, Simulation, Casual, Roguelike, Shooter, RPG & More $9.99 2 50% 60 $599 (exactly $599) Chongqing Xishou Technology Co., Ltd
Space Bubbles Must Die! $2.99 5 100% 150 $449 (exactly $449) FobTi interactive
Suika Idle $2.99 2 100% 60 $179 (exactly $179) GoldPumpkin Inc.
Dote On Me: Desktop Pet $4.99 1 100% 30 $150 (exactly $150) HEJINJU
Desktop Blocks $0.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Nap Kitty Studio
Fantasy Memory: A Relaxing Match Game $1.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Boogygames Studios
Timber Trails Alpine Puzzle $1.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Boogygames Studios

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