Do I ship it?

GamesIdlerIdler + Romance

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Romance Idler?

Idler + Romance

Of 67 developers who shipped a Romance 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.. 82 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×15 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $510; 1 in 20 cleared $49k, ×418 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 82 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 15.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 25% on the market, 82 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Idler + Romance
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 67
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.9k → $1.4k → $28k → $3.5k → $5.4k → $1.8k → $480 (still earning) → $1.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Idler + Romance: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 67
Bottom 30% $505 (exactly $505)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Top 25% $8.9k (exactly $8,858)
Top 5% $50k (exactly $49,750)
Developers, 2 yr 67
Released games 215
Announced 82
Effort 2 / 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 25% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
Romance
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Idler; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Visual Novel, Dating Sim, Simulation
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Anime, Cute, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 3,369 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $510, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $8.8k, 1 in 20 over $49k.

3 in 10 developers made under $510. 7 in 10 of the 44 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 82 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FMVStrong odds10 devs · median $36k · 10 announced
  2. + FarmingStrong odds33 devs · median $5.9k · 25 announced
  3. + Hack and SlashFair32 devs · median $6.4k · 50 announced
  4. + DrivingFair16 devs · median $5.5k · 18 announced
  5. + LootFair181 devs · median $4.5k · 256 announced
  6. + FPSFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  7. + Turn-Based CombatFair52 devs · median $4.0k · 41 announced
  8. + Turn-Based StrategyFair50 devs · median $3.6k · 45 announced
  9. + Dynamic NarrationFair16 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  10. + Dark FantasyFair83 devs · median $2.9k · 128 announced
  11. + CapitalismFair205 devs · median $2.9k · 260 announced
  12. + SwordplayFair9 devs · median $2.7k · 4 announced

All 177 pairs on the Idler page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Long Dream older $6.99 962 98% 29k $202k (exactly $201,731) WildMonkey
I got a millenary cat older $6.99 685 85% 21k $144k (exactly $143,644) CatBellUnion
My MILF Stepmom💋 older $6.99 644 61% 19k $135k (exactly $135,047) DuaWolf
My Holiness the Gobliness older $7.99 337 83% 10k $81k (exactly $80,779) BFGS
Denos City: Complete Game older $11.99 217 70% 6.5k $78k (exactly $78,055) Backhole
Office Is My Harem🔞 older $6.99 349 69% 10k $73k (exactly $73,185) DuaWolf
Zavod · EA $6.00 404 91% 12k $73k (exactly $72,720) Gendocik
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)
Naughty College 18+ older $9.99 210 53% 6.3k $63k (exactly $62,937) Octo Games
The Girl's Moving Castle $9.99 181 88% 5.4k $54k (exactly $54,246) Destined game Studio
Goth Obsession: Touch Adventure $2.99 560 81% 17k $50k (exactly $50,232) Mora the Goth Girl
SEX Amnesia - Lover Sim 🔞 $9.99 166 68% 5.0k $50k (exactly $49,750) OneHand Games
Maid Harem With Futa $5.99 203 69% 6.1k $36k (exactly $36,479) DuaWolf
Pornographer $0.99 1,214 88% 36k $36k (exactly $36,056) DT
Sex Dorm🔞 $9.99 116 75% 3.5k $35k (exactly $34,765) Play and Cum 💦
Sex Clinic 18+ $9.99 112 83% 3.4k $34k (exactly $33,566) Play and Cum 💦
Desktop Kitten Girl $3.99 277 86% 8.3k $33k (exactly $33,157) KDream
COWGIRL SEX FARM $6.99 136 72% 4.1k $29k (exactly $28,519) Cutie Booty

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