Games › Idler › Idler + Mystery
Should I ship a Mystery Idler?
Idler + Mystery
Of 52 developers who shipped a Mystery Idler 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.. 87 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.4k, ×3.0 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×469 the market median. Revenue is up 305% on the market; 87 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $356 (exactly $356) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,433) |
| Top 25% | $9.9k (exactly $9,891) |
| Top 5% | $223k (exactly $222,741) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 52 |
| Released games | 109 |
| Announced | 87 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 305% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 21%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Idler; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Incremental, RPG
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 9,853 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 35 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 87 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + Hack and SlashFair
- + DrivingFair
- + LootFair
- + FPSFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Dynamic NarrationFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + SwordplayFair
Comparable games
THE LONGING 2020 · $3.1M 
Orb of Creation 2026 · $779k 
欺神弄鬼 2025 · EA · $240k 
SchoolBoy Runaway 2024 · $223k 
Asbury Pines 2025 · EA · $217k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | THE LONGING | older | $14.99 | 6,977 92% | 209k | $3.1M (exactly $3,137,557) | Studio Seufz |
| | Orb of Creation | $11.99 | 2,167 84% | 65k | $779k (exactly $779,470) | MarpleGames | |
| | 欺神弄鬼 | · EA | $9.99 | 802 91% | 24k | $240k (exactly $240,359) | 猫台班子工作室 Cat Caboodle |
| | SchoolBoy Runaway | $1.99 | 3,731 90% | 112k | $223k (exactly $222,741) | Linked Squad | |
| | Asbury Pines | · EA | $12.99 | 558 90% | 17k | $217k (exactly $217,453) | Chaystar Unlimited LLC |
 | Paper Bride 5 Two Lifetimes | older | $9.99 | 606 84% | 18k | $182k (exactly $181,618) | HeartBeat Plus |
 | I'm on Observation Duty 7 | $11.99 | 426 93% | 13k | $153k (exactly $153,232) | Notovia, Dreamloop Games | |
 | Feed the Reactor | $6.99 | 658 82% | 20k | $138k (exactly $137,983) | Adam Travers | |
 | Journey to Incrementalia | $4.99 | 894 86% | 27k | $134k (exactly $133,832) | Adam Travers | |
 | Paper Bride 6 Nightmare | $9.99 | 369 81% | 11k | $111k (exactly $110,589) | HeartBeat Plus | |
 | Graces: Posthumous Wish | $7.99 | 187 93% | 5.6k | $45k (exactly $44,824) | TomoToro | |
 | Succubus Contract I | $14.99 | 61 90% | 1.8k | $27k (exactly $27,432) | Stick4Luck |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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