Games › Idler › Idler + Psychological
Should I ship a Psychological Idler?
Idler + Psychological
Of 32 developers who shipped a Psychological 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.. 21 more are announced.
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 $180; 1 in 20 cleared $44k, ×94 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 21 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $178 (exactly $178) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.4k (exactly $1,433) |
| Top 25% | $8.8k (exactly $8,836) |
| Top 5% | $45k (exactly $44,824) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 32 |
| Released games | 67 |
| Announced | 21 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $3.99 |
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 90% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Idler
- effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
- Psychological
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Idler; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Simulation
- Price point
- $3.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Atmospheric, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.
The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,560 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.
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
I'm on Observation Duty 7 2024 · $153k 
1997 2023 · $69k 
Touch Some Grass 2022 · $49k 
Family curse 2023 · $47k 
Graces: Posthumous Wish 2024 · $45k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | I'm on Observation Duty 7 | $11.99 | 426 93% | 13k | $153k (exactly $153,232) | Notovia, Dreamloop Games | |
| | 1997 | older | $9.99 | 231 92% | 6.9k | $69k (exactly $69,231) | Hit'n'Run Digital Studio, RUZURA Intera… (Hit'n'Run Digital Studio, RUZURA Interactive) |
| | Touch Some Grass | older | $1.99 | 820 94% | 25k | $49k (exactly $48,954) | jpm_games |
| | Family curse | older | $6.99 | 222 90% | 6.7k | $47k (exactly $46,553) | Stork Game |
| | Graces: Posthumous Wish | $7.99 | 187 93% | 5.6k | $45k (exactly $44,824) | TomoToro | |
 | Idea Fix | $9.99 | 128 92% | 3.8k | $38k (exactly $38,362) | ZuitLabs | |
 | The Sin | older | $4.99 | 222 87% | 6.7k | $33k (exactly $33,233) | Baba Nura |
 | ZM Desktop Elf | $3.99 | 223 72% | 6.7k | $27k (exactly $26,693) | Duoyi Games | |
 | 片腕のザリガニ - one-armed crayfish | $3.99 | 180 99% | 5.4k | $22k (exactly $21,546) | 斜塔ソンブレロ | |
 | Madness inside | $6.99 | 76 73% | 2.3k | $16k (exactly $15,937) | ZV GAMES | |
 | MosGhost | $7.99 | 59 67% | 1.8k | $14k (exactly $14,142) | Sinka Games | |
 | Refuted Wind | $1.99 | 148 77% | 4.4k | $8.8k (exactly $8,836) | Tropical Games | |
 | Sanity Loops | $3.99 | 65 78% | 2.0k | $7.8k (exactly $7,780) | 375 Games | |
 | The Last Ski Trip | $2.99 | 68 77% | 2.0k | $6.1k (exactly $6,100) | Fireplay Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.