Do I ship it?

GamesTime ManipulationTime Manipulation + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Manipulation Idler?

Time Manipulation + Idler

Only 11 developers shipped a Time Manipulation 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, Hot Springs | 温泉 (Onsen), made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $6.1k, ×13 the market median. Revenue is up 70% on the market; 18 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 70% on the market, 18 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Time Manipulation + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 11
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.8k → $6.1k → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Time Manipulation + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 11
Bottom 30% $178 (exactly $178)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Top 5% $6.1k (exactly $6,105)
Developers, 2 yr 11
Released games 43
Announced 18
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 up 70% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 35%, 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.

Time Manipulation
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
Time Manipulation, Idler
Price point
$3.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 8 games average 70% positive over 126 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $450, 1 in 4 over $1.2k, 1 in 20 over $6.1k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 8 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Time Manipulation with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + DemonsFair14 devs · median $2.7k · 9 announced
  2. + CapitalismFair9 devs · median $1.8k · 14 announced
  3. + ModernFair12 devs · median $987 · 9 announced
  4. + PsychologicalFair18 devs · median $897 · 17 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair10 devs · median $657 · 15 announced
  6. + RacingFair10 devs · median $599 · 12 announced
  7. + Precision PlatformerFair22 devs · median $598 · 20 announced
  8. + Choose Your Own AdventurePoor odds9 devs · median $13k · 24 announced
  9. + RobotsPoor odds12 devs · median $11k · 16 announced
  10. + Post-apocalypticPoor odds7 devs · median $6.7k · 22 announced
  11. + DetectivePoor odds16 devs · median $6.5k · 32 announced
  12. + NoirPoor odds9 devs · median $6.5k · 15 announced

All 103 pairs on the Time Manipulation page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Magic Research 2 older $5.99 610 92% 18k $110k (exactly $109,617) Maticolotto
Magic Research older $4.99 410 90% 12k $61k (exactly $61,377) Maticolotto
Mobiles Tycoon older $5.99 177 83% 5.3k $32k (exactly $31,807) Insignis Games
Poop Clicker older $0.99 725 76% 22k $22k (exactly $21,532) Serge Kornew
Симулятор ПВЗ older $1.99 155 77% 4.7k $9.3k (exactly $9,254) r0kee
Hot Springs | 温泉 (Onsen) $3.99 51 74% 1.5k $6.1k (exactly $6,105) Peach Party
TIS - True Idle Simulator older $2.99 60 86% 1.8k $5.4k (exactly $5,382) PhantomHeadache
Idle ShowOff older $1.99 58 94% 1.7k $3.5k (exactly $3,463) LionCat
Ghostify $3.99 27 81% 810 $3.2k (exactly $3,232) LightTriadGames
Waitventure older $3.99 23 91% 690 $2.8k (exactly $2,753) Kulivszk
Age of Damnation $6.99 6 33% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) WukaStudio
Hardware Store & Workshop Simulator · EA $0.99 24 79% 720 $713 (exactly $713) Superwolf Game Studio
Infinite Idle: Online Clicker RPG $1.99 8 37% 240 $478 (exactly $478) Comar Studios
Mango Simulator $5.00 3 100% 90 $450 (exactly $450) ace5160, Xabi_Sevi, Shikhar Juyal
TruckerX $7.99 1 0% 30 $240 (exactly $240) Aldrik Ramaekers
It Takes One Year To Beat This Game $0.99 6 33% 180 $178 (exactly $178) Haha Games
Game about jetpack fly $2.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) VitaliyP
Signs and Seasons Explorer $10.00 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Great Wall Studio

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