Do I ship it?

GamesQuick-Time EventsQuick-Time Events + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Quick-Time Events Idler?

Quick-Time Events + Idler

Only 19 developers shipped a Quick-Time Events Idler 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, Cornerpond, 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, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $720, ×1.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $230k, ×485 the market median. Revenue is up 70% on the market; 21 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 70% on the market, 21 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Quick-Time Events + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 19
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.4k → $748 → $537 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Quick-Time Events + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 19
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $718 (exactly $718)
Top 25% $5.5k (exactly $5,539)
Top 5% $230k (exactly $230,260)
Developers, 2 yr 19
Released games 38
Announced 21
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 70% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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.

Quick-Time Events
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Quick-Time Events, Idler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Creature Collector, Incremental, Inventory Management
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 3,694 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 $720, 1 in 4 over $5.5k, 1 in 20 over $230k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Quick-Time Events with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimFair17 devs · median $15k · 16 announced
  2. + Shoot 'Em UpFair8 devs · median $1.2k · 12 announced
  3. + Life SimFair28 devs · median $958 · 33 announced
  4. + SimulationFair116 devs · median $748 · 133 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair15 devs · median $720 · 18 announced
  6. + Resource ManagementFair46 devs · median $719 · 55 announced
  7. + FlightFair9 devs · median $657 · 9 announced
  8. + AliensFair12 devs · median $628 · 14 announced
  9. + SpaceFair16 devs · median $597 · 24 announced
  10. + Bullet TimeLong shot10 devs · median $390 · 15 announced
  11. + DemonsLong shot17 devs · median $300 · 22 announced
  12. + Bullet HellLong shot27 devs · median $239 · 25 announced

All 110 pairs on the Quick-Time Events page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Cornerpond $2.99 2,567 97% 77k $230k (exactly $230,260) foolsroom
Bugtopia $5.99 866 92% 26k $156k (exactly $155,620) Nocturnal Games
Treasure Chest Clicker older $3.99 408 82% 12k $49k (exactly $48,838) Simon Eftestol
Dollar older $0.99 1,051 79% 32k $31k (exactly $31,215) DollarDev
Legends of Savvarah: Children of the Sun $7.99 75 92% 2.3k $18k (exactly $17,978) ST Sinovar
Pocket Gecko $3.99 49 97% 1.5k $5.9k (exactly $5,865) riyotsa
Peckers $4.99 37 97% 1.1k $5.5k (exactly $5,539) Humblebright Studio
Sin Slayers: Meat & Greed $2.99 55 52% 1.7k $4.9k (exactly $4,934) Goonswarm Games
Colors! Maze older $0.99 85 88% 2.6k $2.5k (exactly $2,524) Vergiu
Colors! older $0.99 82 80% 2.5k $2.4k (exactly $2,435) Vergiu
BackSlap $1.99 24 91% 720 $1.4k (exactly $1,433) Dotoyou Games
Cozy Tide $3.99 8 87% 240 $958 (exactly $958) breadcrumbs
Widget Warriors $4.99 5 0% 150 $748 (exactly $748) Vespertine Game
Popup.exe $2.99 8 87% 240 $718 (exactly $718) Monu

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